Poverty and Human Development Report 2009 - UNDP in Tanzania

CLUSTER II- GOAL 1
Table 11: Primary and Secondary School Attendance Rates, by Wealth Quintile,
2000/01 and 2007
Net Attendance Rate Gross Attendance Rate
2000/01 2007 2000/01 2007
Primary Schools
Poorest Quintile 0.47 0.78 0.74 1.15
2nd 0.58 0.79 0.86 1.18
3rd 0.57 0.84 0.82 1.18
4th 0.65 0.89 0.95 1.17
Least Poor Quintile 0.72 0.91 0.92 1.19
Tanzania 0.59 0.84 0.85 1.17
Secondary Schools (Forms 1 to 4)
Poorest Quintile 0.01 0.10 0.04 0.20
2nd 0.05 0.12 0.08 0.22
3rd 0.03 0.13 0.07 0.27
4th 0.05 0.21 0.11 0.38
Least Poor Quintile 0.15 0.25 0.28 0.43
Tanzania 0.05 0.15 0.10 0.28
Source: Hoogeveen et al., 2009, calculations based on HBS 2007 data
Note: These calculations interpret attendance data in the HBS as equivalent to enrolment, and report them
as enrolment rates
Percentage of Students Passing the Form 4 Examination
In educational terms, the downside to the rapid rate of secondary expansion – and drop in
budget allocation – is the inability to recruit and train sufficient numbers of teachers to ensure
students receive a quality education. The percentage of students passing the Form 4 examination
(division 1-3) has declined sharply from 35% in 2006 and 2007 to under 27% in 2008, underlining
long-held concerns about deteriorating standards of tuition and the stark reality that education
expansion cannot be done cheaply. Over 80% of students sitting the exam passed Kiswahili, but
only a quarter of candidates passed basic mathematics.
Analysis of 2008 exam results by type of school is not yet available. However, in 2007, less than
one-third of students (30.5%) at Community Secondary Schools passed with a division 1-3,
compared with over half (56.8%) of students in seminaries, and just under half (47.9%) in other
government schools. The high rates of division 4 passes and failing grades strongly indicate poor
quality tuition and a missed opportunity to provide young Tanzanians with essential technical and
vocational skills to succeed in the labour force. The fall in the percentage of qualified secondary
teachers is likely to be a major contributing factor.
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