Send us joining instructions, appeal Form Five students

Deputy Minister of State, Prime Minister`s Office, Regional administration and Local Government (Education), Majaliwa Kassim

While Form Five students in public secondary schools began classes on Thursday, some of them are still awaiting joining instructions, it has been learnt.

Students interviewed by The Guardian yesterday said because of the delay to get joining instructions, they have yet to make preparations, since they don’t know what was required at schools.
Most of the students who complained of not receiving the instructions were those selected to join Form Five at Ilboru and Kibaha Secondary schools.
According to reports most of the students had indicated that their joining instructions be routed through their schools, although others used home addresses.
One of the students who preferred anonymity said that he made follow up at the school where he completed Form Four, only to be  told that the school was yet to receive the joining instructions.
“I have also tried to check with my colleagues who used home addresses and they were also complaining of similar problems,” the student said.
Reached for comment Deputy Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office, Regional administration and Local Government (Education), Majaliwa Kassim said the problem may be caused either by board of selection or heads of schools.
He said heads of schools were obliged to prepare and send joining instructions to all students listed to join their respective schools but they can not do so if the board of selection failed to provide them with the list of names on time.
Kassim promised to work on the problem to find out what has caused the delay in issuing the joining instructions.
On March 27 this year when announcing students selected to join Advanced Level education in public secondary schools Vocational Training Deputy Minister Philip Mulugo directed heads of the schools to provide selected students with information before the schools open on April 12 this year.
A total 31,516 out of 32,610 Form Four students who passed national examination last year were  selected to join Advanced Level education in public secondary schools and technical colleges.
Mulugo said there was a 13.34 per cent drop in the number of those selected compared to last year.
The Deputy Minister said that 9,331 out of the 9,481 girls were selected, while 21,622 out 22,177 boys went through.
Mulugo said that among those selected, 563 students would join Arusha Technical College (ATC), Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT), Mbeya Institute of Science and Technology and Dar es Salaam Water Demand Management Institute.
Mulugo further said that some of the students who scored division one to three could not join Form Five because they did not have the credits needed for their chosen combinations.
He said the drop in the number of students with the requisite qualifications to join Form Five has left many schools especially those which enroll students who are pursuing arts, commerce and economics with vacant positions.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN