Africa-Press – Tanzania. ON Tuesday a very important meeting organised by the Tanzania Education Network (Tenmet) took place in Dar es Salaam during the 2021 Innovation Week, where the former President Jakaya Kikwete (JK) attended and hit the nail on the head that education sector must invest in technology or else groom spectators, who will only be watching development in the world.
If politics is put aside, Mr Kikwete had an idea and precisely said the world is shifting to digital learning, thus failure to invest in technology would leave behind youths from Africa (Tanzania inclusive) as spectators of transformation instead of digital economic participants.
It was good he dwelt on the matter, citing a research conducted by the International Commission on Education of which he is a member that the education currently being provided in Africa was provided to developed countries 50 to 70 years ago.
“We are still using chalks while developed countries are using tablets. We saw that there are more than 263 million people who were supposed to be in school, but are not, of whom 100 million are in Africa… those who are in school; most do not finish with the majority ending up on the road.
Sixty seven per cent have finished school, but 33 per cent have been left behind,” he said.
Making the revelation during the launch of the education forum that will be used to discuss education funding, he noted: “It is imperative to use science and technology in teaching. Every school needs to be connected to internet,” he said.
Citing the Covid-19 pandemic that has proved how the lack of technology affects teaching. “We have seen during the Covid-19 era, one of the steps taken was to close schools.
Our students did not study, they played games, but in developed countries schools were closed and children continued to study.”
Think of this scenario in the future if we don’t buy his school of thought today: “Due to poor provision of education and technological advances there is a danger of unemployment crisis and by 2050, 50 per cent of jobs will be lost due to the use of machines.
“There will be cars without a driver. You want transport, you call Uba… you use your phone it comes and takes you to the relevant place, maybe, Ubungo Plaza or Millennium tower.”
He said apart from unemployment, Africa’s population would reach two billion people. “If those people don’t have the skills, there will be significant economic and social impacts.”
We need to think ahead when it comes to improving the learning environment so that our students finish school life and come out with skills required in the global market, not otherwise.
