
SECTION B (20 marks)
Answer all questions in this section.
3. Read the following passage and then answer the questions that follow.
Investing in the education of girls could be one of the investments with the highest returns in
Tanzania. There is a widespread perception that better educated women are able to process
information and to use goods and services more efficiently. Evidence from many studies demonstrate
that in the long run, increased education for women could contribute to improved quality of life and
enhances national development through increased economic production, improved hygienic practices,
as well as reduced child mortality and better nutritional practices. Educated women are better
prepared to provide healthcare, to educate their children and to reduce their fertility to desired levels.
In Tanzania, children acquire gender role identity as a consequence of the differential treatment,
expectations, and reinforcement given to girls and boys by their parents, teachers, and the society.
cultural factors have a pervasive influence on the situation of female education. The Tanzanian
culture has an inherent gender bias which adversely affects females. These customary practices
include early marriages and parental preference for a ‘wife and mother’ role for daughters. These
strongly shape the aspirations of girls and they may drop out of formal schooling system prematurely,
either physically or intellectually.
Among the strategies taken by the government to ensure that girls were enrolled in primary schools
on equal number as boys include the enactment of the Education Act of 1969. The act provided legal
backing to ensure that children were not withdrawn from school before completing the primary school
cycle. Also important was the introduction of Universal Primary Education in 1974 and the Education
Act No. 25 of 1978, which gave the government powers to enforce compulsory enrolment and
attendance of girls and boys in schools. Through these efforts the gross enrolment ratio reached 93
percent in the late 1980s.
However, the quality of primary education in Tanzania has suffered from underfunding and pupil’s
development of critical thinking has been undermined by class size and for girls particularly, by a
curriculum which perpetuates gender stereotyping.
Questions
(a) Why investment in the education of girls can have the highest returns in Tanzania?
(b) Point out two cultural factors which affect the education of a girl child in Tanzania.
(c) State three ways through which children acquire gender roles in Tanzania.
(d) Outline two challenges facing primary education in Tanzania.
(e) Give two reasons behind increased enrolment of girls and boys in the late 1980s.
4. (a) Outline five traditions and customs which affect the reproductive health of women in Tanzania.
(b) Explain the significance of the National Anthem by giving five points.