the impact of hiv/aids on the education sector in tanzania
the impact of hiv/aids on the education sector in tanzania
the impact of hiv/aids on the education sector in tanzania
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3.6 Additi<strong>on</strong>al problems<br />
3.6.1 Educati<strong>on</strong>al Management Informati<strong>on</strong> Systems (EMIS)<br />
The comb<strong>in</strong>ed activities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> MoEC, NGOs, CBOs, FBOs and o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r agencies<br />
generate huge amounts <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> data. This may <strong>on</strong>ly be adequately captured and m<strong>on</strong>itored through<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> an effective Educati<strong>on</strong>al Management Informati<strong>on</strong> System (EMIS). An EMIS is<br />
required to ensure that <strong>in</strong>formati<strong>on</strong> reaches its dest<strong>in</strong>ati<strong>on</strong>, is stored correctly, is easily<br />
retrievable and that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> receiver and orig<strong>in</strong>ator are kept abreast <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> any new developments.<br />
However, research f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs reveal that no such system currently exists.<br />
Creat<strong>in</strong>g an EMIS will not be an easy task, s<strong>in</strong>ce district educati<strong>on</strong> departments and<br />
<strong>in</strong>stituti<strong>on</strong>s are poorly equipped to handle educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>sector</strong> data. For example, districts and<br />
<strong>in</strong>stituti<strong>on</strong>s do not ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> records <strong>on</strong> staff morbidity and absenteeism, or costs c<strong>on</strong>nected to<br />
treatment, funerals and burials As a result, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> MoEC can not accurately track and document<br />
trends <strong>in</strong> staff supply and demand (see also Government <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Malawi and UNDP, 2002), or<br />
effectively budget for additi<strong>on</strong>al costs <strong>in</strong>curred.<br />
3.6.2 Policy issues<br />
As discussed above, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> approach <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>sector</strong> has been to implement<br />
HIV/AIDS <strong>in</strong>terventi<strong>on</strong>s based <strong>on</strong> n<strong>on</strong>-formal policy documents. However, this has been<br />
nei<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r sufficient nor effective <strong>in</strong> address<strong>in</strong>g HIV/AIDS <strong>in</strong> a wider c<strong>on</strong>text, because circular<br />
and guidel<strong>in</strong>es lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> legal back<strong>in</strong>g for wider applicati<strong>on</strong> and accountability.<br />
All <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> issues raised <strong>in</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se f<strong>in</strong>al two secti<strong>on</strong>s will be fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r discussed <strong>in</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
chapter outl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> study, and will be used to draw out recommendati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
for improv<strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>sector</strong> resp<strong>on</strong>se.<br />
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