Improve the Quality of Tanzania Primary School Education: Addressing Learners’ Needs with Reflection from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Motives and Bloom’s Taxonomy

Abstract

Every child in Tanzania is legally required to register for compulsory primary school education. Numerous elements influence the realization of the objectives of this policy. This paper looks at the status of provision of formal education in Tanzania in the context of Maslow’s hierarchy of motives and the cognitive domain in the Bloom’s taxonomy. The researcher collected data, through natural observations and by direct interviews with primary school Pupils and teachers from various parts of Tanzania based on their personal perceptions and experiences in regard to Pupils’ access to basic needs, sense of psychological security and the development of knowledge and comprehension level learning skills. The results indicated that none of the schools in the study received funds for food and the availability of food varied among the schools and between Pupils in the same school; some schools had safe drinking water all the time while others lacked guaranteed water access; all schools had toilets but some had very few toilet spots in relation to the number of Pupils; both teachers and Pupils noted that some Pupils felt safe while at school and some lacked sense of security while in school and the sources of insecurity varied; teachers and Pupils acknowledged that issues related to basic needs and Pupils’ sense of security have influence on teaching and learning processes. All teachers in the study were aware of Bloom’s taxonomy and that it was reflected in their lesson preparations. In regard to sensory organs essential for school learning very few schools had Pupils wearing spectacles and, in many schools, not a single Pupil had spectacles. None of the schools had Pupils using hearing aids. The last section is on personal experiences of Pupils and teachers on the specific issues mentioned in this study. It is recommended to have more studies and this subject and for the state to address the basic needs of all children in Tanzania and the provision of visual and audio devices to all Pupils in need.