Assessment of the community education fund (CEF), pretest phase, in Tanzania

Merit International carried out a pretest in four schools in Kibaha district, conducting intensive promotional activities to convince parents and teachers to participate. The pretest revealed that the project has led to school-based management, involving teachers and parents alike. It has also increased teacher motivation, though it is unlikely this can be sustained, since it increases the workload of teachers (who are already underpaid) without offering them financial compensation. The goal of fostering competition in the primary school sector has not materialized, but does not seem to be necessary in order to improve quality and could even have negative consequences (good schools for rich children and poor schools for poor children). On the negative side, while schools have more resources available to them than before, the amount is so small that it is unlikely to significantly improve primary education. The government"s ability to sustain the project nationwide is also questionable; if the program goes nationwide, the government will have to spend twice as much on primary education as it spends now. Other concerns include the inefficiency and corruption of the District Councils, which are scheduled to take over the project from Merit International; the volatile nature of the rural, farm-based economy, affecting parents" ability to pay fees; the fact that the project does not address the main constraint to improving primary education -- the Tanzanian curriculum; and practical issues, such as the infeasibility of opening a school bank account when the nearest bank may be 100 km away. CEF has been expanded to include an additional 31 schools. The full launch of the test phase is planned for early 1997.