AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government expressed its commitment to ensure shortage of desks in Primary and Secondary Schools becomes history in the coming five years.
Deputy Minister in the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government, David Silinde also said the State was set to come up with the Desks Fund, to address the challenge.
He gave the statement in Parliament here on Tuesday, while responding to a question from Bunda Member of Parliament (MP-CCM), Boniface Getere, who wanted to know the sustainable measures being taken by the government to deal with desks’ shortages in schools.
He also advised the Parliamentarians to use all options within their jurisdictions to deal with the shortages in their respective areas.
Equally, he urged them to use the Municipalities and Councils’ funds, Constituency Funds and involve stakeholders in addressing the shortage, while the government is working on the matter as well.
Mr Silinde said the desks’ shortages in school is as a result of free education policy by the fifth phase government, prompting many students to be enrolled, adding that in the past lack of fees made some to stay at home.
He said the government will keep on setting aside funds for purchasing the school desks, noting that some 5,070,896 desks were made in the past five years to address the situation.
The Deputy Minister said in 2015 there were 3,024,311 desks and the number increased to 8,095,207 by September last year.
“In every new classroom being constructed, the government is setting aside budget for desks and we appeal to the public and Councils through their own sources of revenue, as well as stakeholders to join the government in efforts to deal with the shortages,” he added.
However, he cautioned head teachers who refuse to enroll students on the grounds that they do not have money to contribute for desks that the government does not allow that.
