ENVIROMENT & ADVOCACY.

 YPM TZ conducted debate competition which involved 55 schools in Lushoto District with a total of 615 students (Female 339 Male 276).
This Debate competition started since February 2018 by forming a committee of five members one from YPM staff and four teachers from different schools as team of coordinators.

The debate involved various educational stakeholders and has involved all secondary schools in Lushoto District Council and some six schools from the Bumbuli Councils.
The competition also included the Public Debate Format (PDF) training for all English teachers at Secondary Schools established by the Youth Peacemakers Tanzania.
On 10th August, 2018 YPM in celebration of the International Youth Day conducted Debate Competition Finals at the District level which was held at Shambalai Secondary School hall. The District Commissioner of Lushoto was the guest of honor, whereby other stakeholders such as the District Executive Director, the District Education Officer, Ward Education Officers Radio Utume and the community were invited to take part in the occasion. The District Commissioner was represented by the Lushoto Division Officer.
In running this competition, the following benefits were attained by the participants:-
1.     Students were trained on S2C (Subject to Citizen) which is one of the methodology used by YPM to create the sense of responsibility, duty and rights among youths as community members.
2.      Learners gained wider knowledge in the course of preparation for the bigger event. They consulted, discussed and read different sources to acquire evidence and supporting points for their arguments.

3.     Students develop self-confidence and ability to present their topics in front of people from different caliber.

4.     They got exposure by travelling from one school to the other in carrying on with the competition at different levels.

5.     Learn more English language that was used at all levels in the debate, not because Swahili is not important but as a way to build skills on the media of learning used at Secondary Education.

6.     Students created network, partnership and peer to peer relations.

7.     More than 40 teachers were able to attend and learn new technics and methodology of conducting the PDF debate.
Despite these benefits we have also met the following as follows;
1. Some schools did not participate fully in the competition, without crucial reasons.
2. Financial challenges was a major challenge especially during inter schools competition at Ward levels, where students presenting one ward were required to meet another ward.
3. The students seem to lack strategies for preparing themselves as best presenters and give strong evidence to support their arguments.
 4. Many students are unaware of the Public Debate Format (PDF)
Future Plans
1.     We are looking forward to
a.     Conducting debates that will be involving all existing Secondary Schools in the Lushoto and Bumbuli Council.
b.     Running a competition that will involve all Secondary Schools in the Tanga Region (Inter district level)
c.      Finding effective representatives who will represent us in various issues at the National and International levels.
Based on so many direct and indirect profitable benefits in this competition, YPM requests cooperation from various stakeholders to enable the competition to succeed 100% for future years by facilitating us in the following issues.
1.     Assistance in transport and food for students especially from inter-ward level.
2.     Support the improvement of gifts to bring more motivation to students
3.     Intensified Public-Private Partnership in this sector through involvement of our Councils(Lushoto and Bumbuli) in improving the competition.
4.     Ideas to make the competition attractive, educative and empowering. 
  PETS seminar at Handeni District conducted on 24th-25th August 2015. It includes 55 participants 31 men and 24 women who represented 12 wards with 63 villages at Handeni District to help four participants of PETS TOT’s from Handeni in implementation of PETS activities.


Youth Peace Makers Director, P.O for environment and advocacy and PETS seminar participants’ group photo
 Rev. Shemkala opened the seminar.         
Participants votes for the leaders 

  26th June 2015 Breakfast meeting the topic was the Destruction and the protection of environment in Lushoto District. The presenters was Mr. Thomas Lushoto District Environment Officer and Mr. Khalifa stakeholder in environment matter in Lushoto District both the presenters and the participants discussed on the challenges of the environment issues in Lushoto and suggest what can be done to protect the environments. Also presenters share same pictures to show environment situation in Lushoto District.
 Members of 26th June breakfast meeting and Youth Peace Makers staff
          First presenter Mr. Thomas Lyimo Environment officer   
                 Second presenter Mr. Khalifa

                          
                 Members contributed on breakfast meeting about the destruction of environment in Lushoto                                                                                                    
             

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Environment and advocacy program at Mkinga. In Mwakikonge and Mwakikoya primary schools. On February we visit those schools and share about Youth Peace Makers programs especial environment and sport and on May we visit them again this is the development they make. They form Peace environment clubs at their schools and among other things they do in their schools to protect the environment also they establish seedbed.

                                                                                                                 
                                                      Seedbed at Mwakikoya primary school      
                                                  

                                  environment club at Mwakikoya primary school

    
    We also teach and ask questions about environment and how they protect it and distribute gifts.

                        Environment club educate about environment protection through songs
                                         
                                               Seedbed at Mwakikonge primary school
                                Program officer teach the environment clubs class                                                                                                                                                                             
                                             Environment club at Mwakikonge school                                                              
       We also elect club leader at Mwakikonge to find chairperson, and secretary who will help environment teacher to co-ordinate the peace environment club
                      Also we distribute three dustbins to each school for the proper keeping of dry dusts.
                  
                            We also invite Horohoro primary School to work with them on our Programs
 


Breakfast meeting is the meeting which involve duty bearer and right holders to discuss the topic raised by that community.
This time the meeting was in Mkinga and the topic was about the ullegal migrants in Mkinga and Tanzania at large and what should be done?

                                         Director YPM welcome the members
                                  
On discussing the topic there was the representor from migration and investigation office Mr. Mwesiga B. Lubaura. He started by introduce the meaning of migration sector and the duties done by migration. He said that migration is the government organ for security of citizens and non- citizens and the duties is to know the purpose of non-citizens to come Tanzania, to make sure that non citizens are pay tax(permit), to make follow up for those who enter into the country illegal. He also explains the countries which mainly enter illegal in our country, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Bangladesh . They enter in Tanzania because of fertile land, forest, minerals, and also in other border near the countries which have wars in their countries they are running from war example who pass through Kigoma, Kagera, Rukwa borders that come from Burundi.
Mr. Mwesiga presenter breakfast meeting
 

In Mkinga many illegal migrants enter into our country because of economic and other matters and when they reach in Tanzania they being received and transported by public motorcycle drivers (bodaboda) but also village leaders. He mention same of those villages like Mwakijembe, Mwakikoya, Kinyaki and Maeli nane
                                                         Member contribute in the meeting
   
Represented also show the disadvantage or the consequences of illegal migrants as follows
  • Environmental destruction such as banning the forest for charcoal and Mwakijembe is the leading village in production of charcoal and transported to Mombasa, Mkunda, Malindi. Also Kenya they protect their forests while cutting and destruct our forest
  • Land conflicts; there is existence of land conflict between people from other countries especially Kenya and Tanzanian example at Mwakikoya they even report to District commissioner of Mkinga that there land has been taken by non-citizen who are illegally enter into our country
  • Also they are selected to be leaders in different position in the government and they used to distribute land and receive to other illegal migrants.
  • Illegal migrants they also register themselves to get National ID card. But in this point presenter assured the participants of the meeting that no one of illegal migrants will get National ID card in spite of passing all process of getting the ID’s.
  • Also they have habit of killing each other.
                                                   Members of Mkinga breakfast meeting
       
Also he suggest what can be done to stop illegal migrants in Mkinga
  • Each ward will have immigration office
  • To give them order to live by themselves before the operation starts
  • Village leaders to use their registration books in order to know all new members inter in their area.
  • To educate citizens about the disadvantages of illegal migrants
  • To put more security in bounders
  • To follow the laws of National and International
The challenges facing the system
  • Budget; Due to low budget and high demand of resources it’s hard to make the operation of sending back illegal migrants to their countries
  • Migrants are travel in different parts of Tanzania
  • Diplomatic relation
  • Village leader they not report about the illegal migrants

On contributing on the topic other consequences were mentioned such as
  • Diseases transmission
  • Illegal business
What should be done?
  • To use media to educate people
  • To report in case of any doubt or see the illegal migrants.


Youth Peace Makers as the organization dealing with community on it campaign STOP POVERT make the room people can discuss various issues in the community through breakfast meeting. This is the meeting of duty bearer s and right holder s while having breakfast they discuss important topic in hand.

On 7th November 1014 the topic was “The effects of the Alcohol to Youth and its effect on development of Lushoto and national at large and what should be done?”
The meeting invites different people from different sectors that includes people from government and non-government e.g police officers, town executive officer,. There are two main speakers first was the Doctor (Dr. Msuya) from Lushoto hospital who speaks on the effects of alcohol on health perspective. And the second one is Advocate KheriSanga who spoke the effects of alcohol in relation to laws.
SPEAKERS
First speaker Dr. Msuya he started by speak on thing which affects the youth development illness, accidents, poor education; engage on bad groups, alcohol and use of drugs.
Effects of using alcohol
Ø Lead to have bad decision
Ø Un able to know what is good and what is bad
Ø To have bad behavior.
Ø Cause Liver, hurt ,brain, stomach  cancer problem
Ø Lead to HIV/AIDS transmission disease.
Ø Blood pressure
Ø Loss of parts of body organ due to accident.
Ø Reduce the power of growth production especial to men
What should be done?
Ø Parent should take part in growth of their kinds
Ø To know what their kinds do
Ø To advice the youth on effects of alcohol and drugs
Ø To have strict laws on production and selling of alcohol
Ø To make sure children gets good education
The second speaker, Adv. Sanga he started on classifies the meaning of youth in the eyes of law that youth is the person of 18 to35 years old. He looks on alcohol Act section 77(2) that it prohibits the seller to sell alcohol to the people under 18 and also to sell the alcohol to the drunker person.
Effects of alcohol in law
Ø The law did not forgive the person who commit the crime when he drunk.
Ø Alcohol increase the criminal rate
Ø Reduce the productive force
Ø Increase illness
Ø Decrease the economy
Ø  Lead to bad ethical to the children.
NB: Youth should stop to engage in alcohol so as to avoid conflict with laws
After that stakeholders they get time to participate and look on how the alcohol have been effect youth and hinder the development in Lushoto and National at large.
                                            Stakeholders pay attention to the speaker

The meeting was attended by 37 stakeholders who are 9 woman and 28 males. Also the meeting was involved leaders in Lushoto District that is District commissioner, District executive officer, DAS, TEO, head teachers and head mistress from different schools includes those did not performed well and who performed well. All member meet to discuss why Lushoto have poor performance in 2014 on form four result the topic wasThe reason of bad academic result in 2014 in Lushoto District and what should be done?”.

On starting discussed this topic there two main speakers from Lushoto District was District Officer for secondary education Mr. Kassian Sengasu and the second speaker was Mr. Frowing Mgani from SEKOMU as one of the University who prepare teachers.
  The first speaker started from 8:20 to 8:45 he gives the short history of education in Tanzania that there two education system in Tanzania that of before independent and after independents and that of before independent was colonial education aimed at help colonizer to got peoples to work in their investments and the education after independent is divided in 7-4-2-3 that is standard one up to seven, form one to form four, five and six and university three years. After the independent Tanga was the first region in providing education.
                                    Stakeholders taking breakfast before meeting

He continue that now Lushoto has 60 secondary schools, 53 Government schools and 7 non-government schools and last year 2014, 51 schools there students sit for form four examination and 47 are government schools and 4 and non-government and results were no good.
He mentioned some of the reasons why the results were not good in 2014 as follows;
·         Increase of schools: in 1990 there only 5 schools that are Magamba secondary, Mazinde juu secondary, Shambarai, Kifungiro and Kongei. In 2000 schools increase to 10 schools and 2015 there 60 schools so this is the challenge as there are increase of schools but no teachers and other infrastructure like books,
·         Hard teaching condition there no teaching equipment although this year they success to have enough books for mathematics, science but also their schools from form one up to from four there no single science teacher.
·         No good co-operation between teachers and parent; Parents they don’t make the follow up to know the challenges of their children and to know how to solve them with cooperation with teachers.
·         Students are forced to go school they supposed to be taught the importance of education.
·         The level of depending on teacher decrease as the students goes to higher level example in primary school the students depend to the teachers 50%, in secondary it 40%, high schools 30% and university is only 10% and masters is 5%
·         Negative perception among the parent about secondary education. Parents are competing on how many children got business but not which students perform well in their studies. Also parents are not seen the important of their children go to secondary after they finish standard seven they think it enough this make last year the District Commissioner to inter into contract with them that every student who selected to inter secondary school much do so.
·         In Tanzania law the children must study the primary school but it silence to o-level education
He finishes his presentation by suggestion what should be done,
Youth should be educated the importance of education as education is the heritance of youth.
All stakeholders should cooperate and solve any problems arises as community
He ended up by saying that last year result, shame and unspeakable.
         The second speaker starts from 2:45am to 9:8am. He started by saying that in education must be the first and last school but what it matter is the average or the gap between the first and last school.
Also he continued that the system of change the education to be free education increase the number of children who join primary schools and also increase number of students who join secondary schools example in 2001 740’s students join form one but in 2009 it was 1400,000 students join form one this means that if the students increase the demand increase such as teachers, library, book, and other infrastructures. This lead to the force that teachers should be trained short course called crash program but also it did not solve the problem of lack of teachers in schools,
Question: what should be given priority, to start building schools or to train the teachers first? And if it libraries it must be known at what time it will be starts to be used

Also the target of people and the government is based on quantity and not quality that why it happen that form one student he don’t know how to study.
Another point is what is used to measure students i.e examination but this exam high number is multiple choice all subjects even mathematics so that should change.
  • Teacher teach the students how to pass exams and even the books used are question and answer this make students to cram but not to understand
  • Teaching language is also the problem as language in primary education is Swahili but in secondary is English so students are not prepared to use English in primary level.
  • Co-operation between government and teachers
Ø  Teachers are not motivated
Ø  Low salary
Ø  Delay to be given their rights
Ø  Delay to be promoted
Ø  They don’t have houses
This cause the high number of teachers to be absent during the class hours because at that time they are in their business this is according to UNESCO research.
·         Students discipline make them fail
His presentation ends at 9:08am and this leave room for all stakeholders to share and discuss in detail why Lushoto did not perform well.
                                                  Lushoto District commissioner

On sharing with stakeholder they participate as follows;
·         On determine the reasons why Lushoto fail and according to the points mentioned by the speakers they are too general and we should ask our self how many government schools are within Tanga region and why Lushoto so he suggest instead of mention general reasons there should be monitoring and evaluation in those area so as to know or identify the specific reasons why Lushoto did not perform well in form four exam result. And also he suggests that something has to be done instead of wait the system to change because we can’t continue to be the last until the system change.
·         Science and technology also affects the students’ example use of telephone in schools.
·         Government only order the teachers to reach the target but they don’t solve the problem of teachers and students example students are sitting on the flow because of scarcity of chairs and teachers are not given their rights.
·         The government can support the students to get meals at school so as to be able to study because as to compare with non-government schools that perform well students they eat at school.
·         To build good connection between students, teacher and parent.
·         Another reason why there is bad result in Lushoto, one student contribute that due to geographical of Lushoto students are staying very far from the school and they travel long way to reach the school this make them to be late to school and found that the lesson has already started but also the way back home they tired and can’t have personal reading. He thinks that the solution to that problem is to build hostel to help those students who stay far from the school.
·         In order to solve the problem of teachers in schools those students who were competent in the school can be allowed to teach after finish school.
·         On contributing head teacher of Manolo secondary one among two last school in Tanzania she said that the conflict between head teacher and teachers, head teacher and the community in 2011 contribute to the failure of students because teacher spend a lot of time to discuss the conflict among them and not teaching although the head teacher was changed but to bring back the trust of teachers and community to the new head teacher.
·         Delay of caption fee from the government this caused delay in buying of different equipment’s like books.
·         Also there is threat from the government when the student get punishment for uses of phone in schools, suggestion that the law should be clear and those students who are caught using phone at school to be send home.
·         Also the friendship and co-operation between government schools and non-government schools to have interaction so they can learn from each other and also attend parent meeting and contribute from the discussion.
·         In non-government schools example Mzinde juu the fees is not high but parent can contribute anything they have instead of paying money (they pay in kind) e.g carrot, cassava, onion e.t.c
·         Parent should measure the price of their children to pass and what could the price if the student fail.

                                               Photo of all member of breakfast meeting 

                                        
·         Also to know as Lushoto District what is the priority example to build houses for the teachers
·         Ward education officers to form the cabinet to identify and solve the problems arise within their schools.
·         In choosing school board must consider people who are capable of acting effectively.
·         District executive officer  contribute that the problems are both for the teachers, students, parents and 33% teachers they attend in class and 67% they do not attend in class this is according to UNESCO
·         Also on solving the problem of scarcity of books teachers can prepare their notes so that they can be enough for student to read and pass.
·         Teacher should have vision to solve miner problems arise in school rather than wait for District to do it.
·         Also there will be increase of teachers, last year it was 200 teachers but this year will be 500 teachers and Lushoto District fight very hard to make sure that teachers are given their rights.
·         On contributing Lushoto District Commissioner insist that everyone should perform his or her responsibility that is the government, parents, teachers and students
·         Strategies and plane should be before negative thing happen and not after.
·         She also insists on monitoring and evaluations in schools.
This was the discussion on the breakfast meeting24th April 2015 on topic “The reason of bad academic result in 2014 in Lushoto District and what should be done?”.