March 2022 - Tumaini Senior Takes on Tanzanian Economics!
Having the first Form 6 class at Tumaini Senior Secondary reach their final year has been very exciting! The project-based learning (PBL) courses added for this grade level provided a key learning moment for students to explore relevant topics that will impact them beyond graduation. Led by Mr. Goodluck, this Economics course was structured to give students a firsthand look into Tanzania’s economic history and also permit them to embark on research projects related to their own interests within the course material. We spoke to five Form 6 students about the Economics PBL course and they had quite a lot to share!
Esther
Esther is very interested in fixing the economy of Tanzania. However, there are so many challenges:
1) Education: Esther feels that most Tanzanians do not know much about their own economy and are not engaged in the policies and decisions of their government. They know the government acts, but do not involve themselves beyond awareness.
2) Transparency: The government should be more transparent with its decision-making process. When citizens are aware of what is going on, they can also advise on the best way forward. The citizens are the ones who suffer as a result of poor economic management; not the government. Therefore, Esther would like citizens to collaborate with the government more on the economic issues affecting their country.
3) Natural Resources: Esther feels that Tanzania should develop using the profits obtained from Tanzanite. However, Tanzania does not have many industries relating to the processing and export of Tanzanite. As a result, raw Tanzanite is primarily exported abroad, so Esther wants Tanzania to focus on developing the industry internally.
Deonice
Deonice was very interested in taking part in this PBL because he aspires to study business and economics at university. During this PBL, his group researched tourism policy. He is from Karatu, which has many links to the tourism industry, and he has witnessed the advantages and disadvantages from a young age. It was easy for him to bring this experience to the project and suggest ways to address the issues observed.
“I am most interested in tourism policy because it is an industry that most of our families are involved in. I also would like to tackle marketing. For example, Rwanda has great marketing and I think is the leading technology hub in East Africa. They have fewer national parks than Tanzania, however, they have a more profitable tourism industry. I believe this is due to marketing. I also think we should focus on domestic tourism and improve national education about this topic.
Another way to boost our economy would be to improve our airports. By developing better airports near national parks, tourists could travel directly to them with less delay. I also believe in community participation. Many citizens live in or near national parks. With better education, we can reduce poaching and deforestation and together contribute to taking care of our environment.”
Glory
“I was interested in this PBL because it deals with most of the things which are happening in our country. We conducted extensive research and found solutions to many economic issues facing Tanzania. This course has broadened my thinking capacity by looking at my country’s objectives and thinking critically about how they can be achieved.
My solution to Tanzania’s economic problems would mainly focus on technology. Everything in the world now is based on technology. Therefore, when technology in Tanzania improves, it will help us to improve our products and markets. This will lead to stronger foreign investment and allow us to export high-quality products abroad. I also would like to improve the resources provided for developing skilled workers in our country along with improving the quality of transportation. This will allow for easier and safer movement of goods within our country and across its borders.
She continues, “I feel positive about Tanzania’s future because we hope to share this work and research that we have been doing with the Tanzanian government. I believe that the government will listen to our advice and work on the issues we have identified. This will be a great step and help improve the economic status of our country.”
Marcel
Marcel was really awestruck by what he learned during this PBL. It was his first time becoming aware of many of the economic issues that were featured in the course although he had been curious from a young age.
His group focused on mining policy. He was shocked to learn that sometimes minerals are taken from Tanzania without any consent and that the mineral market fluctuates in pricing on a consistent basis. Another economic challenge he would like to address in mining is pricing. He would like to ensure that minerals are being sold at the correct price and that profits are being distributed fairly between the government and workers in the industry.
Marcel also believes the future of Tanzania is very bright. “We are the younger generation and are planning to teach others more about the economy so that everyone has the skills and knowledge to take part in changing our future for the better. This will surely have a positive impact on the country’s development.”
Dickson
“We have been thinking and coming up with creative ways on how to best advise the government and improve the economy. This PBL exposed me to many shocking things. My group focused on natural gas and I was most surprised to learn that Tanzania is amongst the top 10 African countries with the largest reserve of natural gas. However, we lack deeply in processing power/electricity. This is because we are not utilizing this resource effectively. Ghana has less natural gas than Tanzania, but is far more developed because they use their resources more effectively. Another realization was that despite Tanzanite only being found in Tanzania, South Africa is the world’s leading exporter, followed by Kenya. Tanzania is missing out on the benefits of its own natural resources.
Tanzania’s future depends on improving many things to encourage development. Tanzania has the resources needed to increase our economic status. If the government would be open to listening to the citizens and taking the advice that we offered in our final presentations, in ten years Tanzania’s economy could be very much improved. I will never give up on my country but we need to do better.
Tanzania has a general lack of skilled laborers, so fixing the educational system will have a direct impact on our economy. We also do not have very advanced industries for natural gas, minerals, and transportation due to limited technology. At the moment, foreigners are the ones who mainly benefit from Tanzania’s natural resources. Tanzania needs to create its own market system whereby we can finally take full advantage of the resources that we have. For example, developing better industry, processing plants, etc. Tanzania also does not have a clear governmental system. Theoretically, we are a socialist country, but practically we are capitalist. I think that we need to decide on one for a more stable economy.