Magdalena Hamis Sakaya (Special Seats, CUF)
The Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda, yesterday told the National Assembly that the government will take severe measures against those involved in last year’s Form IV exam failures once the probe team completes its work.
Pinda made the clarification when responding to a question raised by Magdalena Hamis Sakaya (Special Seats, CUF) during the Prime Minister’s Questions and Answers session.
Sakaya had wanted to know if the government saw the need to hold those responsible for the students’ mass failures accountable, including the Minister for Education and Vocational Training Dr Shukuru Kawambwa.
“After the investigations are complete, we will get answers and if we happen to discover that there were individuals responsible for the shameful action, the government will not hesitate to hold them accountable,” the Prime Minister said.
When Sakaya asked him to state the government’s stance on nullifications of the Form IV results on grounds that the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (Necta) altered the marking system without informing the stakeholders, the Prime Minister said the committee he formed was still working on such details.
“We should wait for more findings from the probe team,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Prime Minister’s probe team on last year’s Form IV exam failures identified NECTA as the scapegoat for the unfortunate results in its preliminary findings.
It said the council used a new system in grading the students’ exams.
Responding to another question raised by Rashid Ally Abdallah (Tumbe, CUF) on ministers involved in drug trafficking, Pinda said the government will discipline them accordingly if the accusations are proved to be true.
Abdallah had wanted to know the government’s stance on accusations once made by Kangi Lugola (Mwibara-CCM) that some ministers are involved in drug trafficking business.
“To my knowledge, it is not true that there are ministers involved in drig trafficking. However, if Lugola has any proof he should bring it forward and it will be taken to the President from whom disciplinary actions would be issued,” Pinda said.
In another development, the Prime Minister said the government is working on a bill to officiate Dodoma as the capital city of Tanzania which will require its institutions to be based in the area.
However, he could not say when exactly the bill would be ready.
“This will be a huge move and currently there are challenges that we have to address first.
For instance there is no enough water yet for the capital city, so we have to work on improving such infrastructures so as to attract many firms to also move here when time comes,” he said.
Fielding another question from Juma Nkamia (Kondoa South, CCM) on shifting Local Authorities Pension Funds offices (LAPF), Pinda said most of LAPF’s activities are based in Dar hence the government to shift them there.
Nkamia had wanted to know why LAPF is moving its offices to the city while the government is working on transferring most of its activities to Dodoma.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
