Africa-Press – Tanzania. PRESIDENT John Magufuli has offered a holiday break to civil servants who report to him, an opportunity he said will enable them to join their family members in celebrating Christmas and New Year festivals.
The decision by President Magufuli was part of his best wishes to Tanzanians as they join the rest of the world in celebrating the important festivals.
“Public leaders and officials are obliged to be with their families. It’s not a sin to spend at least two, three or five days at your home with families,” he said shortly after administering an oath of integrity to the newly hand-picked Ethics Commissioner, Judge Sivangilwa Sikalalilwa Mwangesi at the State House in Chamwino.
President Magufuli often celebrates Christmas and New Year holidays at his home village of Chato in Geita region. He cautioned senior public leaders to ensure they have a backup plan for the end of the year’s holidays.
The new announcement by the President excludes city, municipal and town council directors.
“Save leaders that were prohibited by the Prime Minister pending completion of classroom construction, any other leader can go on holiday only if they can assign representatives,” he said amid cheers.
President Magufuli was more specific when he said regional and district commissioners, division secretaries and teachers must not be withheld from joining families.
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa ordered executives and senior officials in charge of supervising and coordinating construction works of classrooms in regions that had reported high shortage of classrooms not to leave the office for the holiday.
According to a statement issued by the Minister of State President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Governments, Selemani Jafo, nine out of 26 regions had selfsufficient classrooms.
They include Kagera, Katavi, Lindi, Mtwara, Mwanza, Njombe, Ruvuma, Songwe and Tabora.
Naming 759,706 pupils who have been selected to join secondary education next month, the Minister said a total of 74,166 pupils who passed their standard seven national examinations this year will not be joining secondary education next January due to insufficient classrooms.
Dar es Salaam region topped others in the country with 14,926 pupils, a large number that will be under the waitlist followed by Geita (9,572), Mara (7,809), Dodoma (7,145), Pwani (6,888), Mbeya (5,549) and Kigoma (5,498).
Others are Morogoro (4,686), Kilimanjaro (3,015), Arusha (2,768), Simiyu (1,837), Tanga (1,537), Iringa (907), Singida (674), Rukwa (564), Manyara (557) and Shinyanga (234).
Minister Jafo directed heads of regions and districts facing a shortage of classrooms to work with education stakeholders to complete construction of the remaining rooms by the end of next February.
About 970 pupils were selected to join special schools for their outstanding performance, 1,238 pupils will be admitted to vocational schools and 1,961 pupils will be registered in boarding schools.
At least 385,665 girls and 362,247 boys will be joining secondary education in January, according to figures released by the ministry.
Meanwhile, Christmas celebrations at national level will be held in Mtwara Region, the Mtwara Regional Commissioner, Mr Gelasius Byakanwa has said.
Speaking in a live TBC afternoon Dira Programme, Byakanwa said that various preparations, including security matters have been put in place ready for the region to host the Christmas Eve and Mass Festivals 2020.
“I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the public and those who will be coming to Mtwara for the celebrations. I would like to assure them that the region is safe and well prepared to host them,” he said.
He noted that the Xmas Eve will be held at diocese of Mtwara while Christmas Mass will be hosted by CCT Mtwara at Call and Vision Hall in Mtwara Mikindani.
The RC said preparations to receive the visitors were ready by yesterday as he called on ‘wananchi’ travelling to Mtwara to observe and adhere to rules and regulations of road safety to avoid unnecessary accidents.
On the other hand, the RC directed owners of entertainment halls and other venues to take precautions and ensure their places are safe for people to celebrate as he urged Mtwara residents and other Tanzanians to use the beautiful beaches of Mtwara to celebrate.
“We have got very beautiful beach destinations, and we call on visitors coming to Mtwara for the Xmas festival to visit the beaches to celebrate,” he said.
Meanwhile, the RC urged Mtwara residents to ensure they save money for school fees and other activities after the holidays.
He said as schools open in early January, parents and guardians will be required to ensure their children attend school, and thus the need to save more money for facilitating school’s requirements, including fees.
He said the regional government is working to complete the construction of classrooms in Mtwara Rural District Council and Masasi where there is shortage of classes.
He said the region has a shortage of 59 classes.
