ABOUT CONSTITUTION: MOST PEOPLE ARE IGNORANT!

By Friday Simbaya,
Songea

As the nation is demanding for a new constitution, it is astonishing that most of the people including students in the country have never known or seen a National Constitution of 1977 before, it has been observed.

This was disclosed on Friday at the 2nd Graduation Ceremony for Maposeni Secondary School in Songea District, Ruvuma Region, where they took the opportunity to give farewell to Form VI candidates who are going to sit examintion on February, 7 this year.

The Executive Director of the non government organization called The Poor and Disabled (PADI), Iskaka Msigwa , who was the guest of honour, asked a question to the audience during the sent-off party of form six students, whether they know or seen national constitution of 1977.

To the astonishment, there was no raised hand up either from students, parents or guardians who attended the graduation ceremony held at Peramiho in Songea.
This shows that most of people are ignorant about the constitution of the country be it students or local residents in the area.

This is very serious circumstance as the nation is demanding for the new constitution but the large number of citizens has not ever seen the constitution before or knows it, be it in the cities, towns and rural centers. This must be a wake up call for the government and the stakeholders in the country to take education to the people before having a new charter.

Recently, President Jakaya Kikwete has been under pressure to revise the constitution since winning re-election on October 31 last year with the opposition calling for limits on the president's powers and reform of the electoral law.

Several hundred protesters marched in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam; calling for a new charter, and police fired teargas to disperse them.

"I believe that time is now ripe for a new constitution that takes into account various social and economic changes," Kikwete said in his New Year address to the nation.

"We need a constitution that copes with the challenges of the 21st century," he said in a speech broadcast live by television and radio stations.

The previous constitution covering mainland Tanzania and the islands of Zanzibar was drawn up in 1977 but Zanzibar also has its own treaty dating from 1984.

Kikwete said he would appoint a commission to co-ordinate the collection of views of people from all walks of life to inform the new constitution.

"The Constitutional Review Commission which I am forming will be headed by a experienced lawyer, with representation from all groups in our society.

Msigwa in his message to the graduants urged them to work harder during the forthcoming national examinations if they want to become respected in society because education is the key to success.

He further pointed out that they should go further studies until university level and when they finish and employed elsewhere, should they work diligently so that they can get their terminal benefits of old age.

“Since I’ m the executive director of the non governmental organization that is advocating for the rights of older people or senior citizens so that lead a better life… I want you also to educated and when you get older receive your terminal benefits. So be part of group and become one the best activists to fight for better life of older people in the country” he said.

On the issue of HIV/AIDS, Msigwa argued the students not indulging in multiple sexual relationships because by so doing they will contract HIV/AIDS, which will also cut short their future life, hence a great lose to their parents and guardians. “Beware of HIV/AIDS, AIDS Kills, this is my message to you students who are graduating today”, he added.

Maposeni Secondary School has a total of 53 candidates who are going sit for form six national examinations including 18 girls and 35 boys, which begins on February 7, 2011.

According to the headmaster, Humari Mapunda, the school was allocated 76 students to start form five advanced level but only 60 reported and others did not report due various reasons including transfers and sickness in the process.

The school has a total number of 821 students that is, 752 students are from Form I-IV and 69 are students Form V, with subject combination of History, Geography and Kiswahili (HGK) 27 students and History, Kiswahili and Language (HKL) 26 students respectively.

He anticipated that his students are going do well in the forthcoming examinations due to the fact that during the mock examinations in September last year, they did well because there was no one who got division four and zero, but students who got division- one during mock exams were 18, division- two were 28 and division- three were seven respectively.

Nevertheless, school headmaster Mapunda said that the school also faces lot of troubles including the lack of teachers for teaching science subjects in form I-IV classes and a literature teacher for form V-VI students respectively.

He mentioned other challenges that the school undergo as dilapidated school buildings which needs to be renovated, lack of reliable electricity and clear safe drinking water, lack of a dinning hall, shortage of pit latrines at the moment are only 24 pit latrines, that is 11 for boys and 13 for girls but shortfall is 18 pit latrines.

Also the school has no buildings for science laboratories for both Physics and Chemistry subjects, lack of teachers houses and there are only five, of which three of them are not fully completed but the school about 25 teachers’ houses more.

And also lack staff who not teachers like a storekeeper and a school accountant which is forcing teachers to take positions of storekeeper and accountant respectively. This is making work difficult because they are not right people for such job.

Maposeni Secondary School is government school situated in Songea District of Ruvuma Region started its advanced level class since April 2008 and in February 2010 they held their first graduation ceremony for form six.

The school was allocated about 60 pupils and only 54 reported to the school in the long run 50 candidates managed to sit for the form six final examination all girls. The results were reported to be very good because no one got division IV and Zero only divisions I, II and III respectively
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