State set to tame textbook cheats

Special Seats MP Martha Mlata (CCM) sought the Speaker’s guidance, saying she knows the importance of technology in enhancing education, but for the past two days, the social media was awash with pictures of textbooks with ‘silly’ errors, purporting to be official ones.

“These books are not proper at all; I request the ministry to give a clarification on the matter,” Ms Mlata said in the National Assembly.

Minister for Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, said she was similarly surprised to see pictures of such books associated with school textbooks spreading on social media.

Prof Ndalichako noted that the doctored books are for a Standard Three English book which initially had errors but which had subsequently been corrected. The other circulated one was a Science book illustrating human body parts, with arrows pointing wrongly to particular parts.

“All these books which are spreading haven’t been published by the government…I am very upset by the trend of some people intentionally usingbooks to tarnish the image of the government…and doing this is against the law… and I am glad that our security organs are here today.

I am therefore directing them to trace the culprits,” the furious Prof Ndalichako instructed. National Assembly Chairman Mussa Azzan Zungu added that the security organs should take action since they were present in Parliament and heard about such acts of sabotage and tarnishing the government’s image on social media.

Meanwhile, Parliament was informed over a weak internet system crippling speedy payment of government fees such as land fees, which forced the minister responsible to extend the deadline until May 30.

The Deputy Minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Ashatu Kijaji, promised to take up and act on the matter soon.

Source: Daily News

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