POLITICS OF CURRICULUM MAKING: A QUANDARY TO QUALITY EDUCATION IN TANZANIA?
Denis J. Kamugisha
School of Public Administration and Management, Mzumbe University, Tanzania
Frank J. Mateng’e
Dar es Salaam University College of Education, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
ABSTRACT
Curriculum is the lifeblood of quality education. Its ineffectiveness can have devastating repercussion to quality education. While being aware of the role of other factors in influencing quality education, this paper posits that curriculum development dilemma and its impact on quality education in Tanzania have not been sufficiently addressed. The interplay between sound curriculum and quality education cannot be overemphasized. To get quality curriculum, Tyler (1949) proposed a model to facilitate the process. Nevertheless, an attempt to develop sound curriculum has been a subject of heated debate in academic discourse in many parts of the globe, including Tanzania. Following contemptible education performance in Tanzania, education stakeholders have questioned the feasibility of the contemporary curriculum. However, they remained silent about the root cause of the dilemma. This paper argues that the absurdity of the existing curriculum is attributed to politics of curriculum making. Therefore, through a thematically oriented review of literature, this paper is inclined to shed light to that contention.
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