Abstract
This paper reports on the review of selected literacy projects in Tanzania funded through the support of Corporate Multilateral Agencies. The world conferences on ed-ucation for all which resulted into the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) chal-lenged African governments to focus on access, equity, and quality education for all. Consequently, many African governments over the last decade invested hugely in edu-cation resulting into many more children accessing basic education than ever before. In Tanzania, the 1995 and 2014 Education and Training policies with emphasis on quality education, and the introduction of fee free basic education provision are consistent with the global agenda such as United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, despite the numerical and infrastructural achievements in education in Tanzania, several study reports have continued to show low learning outcomes especially in basic literacy and numeracy among Tanzanian children. Therefore, given the limitations of the government in delivering quality education and providing sustainable solutions to literacy challenges in Tanzania, this paper implores that, the Corporate Multilateral Agencies play a crucial role in offering sustainable solutions to the literacy achievement crisis by either direct funding of the projects or mobilizing others to navigate different types of literacy innovation projects. Findings from the review suggest that, reading instruction, culture and learning outcomes of primary school children have improved as a result of the literacy projects which exposed children to grade level and age appropriate reading resources. However, sustainability of the projects, policy gaps, and ideological differences of multilateral agencies stand out as challenges facing the literacy projects. This paper recommends that, the Ministry of Education and Training should streamline, and coordinate any literacy projects funded by multilateral agencies, scale up the innovations and with time integrate literacy innovations in to national curriculum, plans and budgets for sustained results, and replication of best practices.
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How to cite this paper
The Role of the Corporate Multilateral Agencies in Education: The Case of Literacy Projects in Tanzania
How to cite this paper: Philip, A., J. (2017). The Role of The Corporate Multilateral Agencies in Education: The Case of Literacy Projects in Tanzania. The Educational Review, USA, 1(2), 17-25.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2017.02.001