Knowledge Distortions in Tanzanian Secondary Schools

A Case of Kinondoni Municipality, Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania

Abstract

Since the 1990s there have been serious concerns about the quality of formal knowledge1 in Tanzania. The centre of the concerns has been the relationship between formal knowledge and development. Most of the studies agree that, under-development in Tanzania is highly influenced by the poor quality of formal knowledge. Though this has been the case, little is known about the distortions of knowledge in materialist terms. As it is argued by various scholars, poor quality of formal knowledge has been associated with a poor learning environment, lack of teaching staff and other basic equipment. While these are important, this study aimed at explaining how systems of knowledge production and dissemination distort the quality of knowledge in Tanzania. By situating Tanzania in the context of European imperialism, it was observed that knowledge production and dissemination systems have been destroyed since colonial times, and the content of knowledge has been sporadically distorted to respond to the needs of the world capitalist system. The paper explains these distortions in various historical periods with a focus on secondary schools in Tanzania.