Module 5: Development Case Studies

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  1. The case study I read was from allafrica.com, and it talked about Tanzania’s Free Education Policy and the challenges that it is facing. In January 2014, President Ali Mohamed Shein of Tanzania declared a Free Education Policy, which started in July 2015. His goal was to encourage parents to keep their children in school, at least for a basic education, and it really took off a lot faster than they expected it to. They are facing a few challenges that they hadn’t expected before, including congested classrooms, limited facilities, and a shortage of qualified teachers. The families in Tanzania did not have the money that they used to have to pay for education, which included money for fees, learning materials, and uniforms for their children. If we looked at Tanzania’s GDP as we did in the past module, I would question that while the parents did not have money to pay for the education, does the country have enough money to provide an education that is of high enough quality?    http://allafrica.com/stories/201602240982.html
  2. The second case study I chose was from the Center for Global Development, and it talked about curbing tobacco use in Poland. There was a really high rate of smoking tobacco in Poland, causing numerous health problems such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and low birth weight. After research in the 1980s had been done to look at health impact of smoking and the link between smoking and cancer, the Polish parliament passed new legislation in 1995.  It included larger health warnings on cigarette packs, a ban on smoking in health centers and workplaces, a band on electronic media advertisement, and a ban on tobacco sales to minors. This relates to our last module because it takes into account the quality of life over Poland’s GDP. “In 1990, the probability that a 15-year-old boy born in Poland would reach his 60th birth­day was lower than in most countries, and middle-aged Polish men had one of the highest rates of lung cancer in the world.” http://www.cgdev.org/page/case-14-curbing-tobacco-use-poland
  3. My hometown is Wyomissing, PA, which is right outside of Reading, PA. Reading, PA has a pretty high crime rate, and in November 2011 it was named the poorest city in the nation.  The Reading school district has about 18,000 students, and I got to do some observation hours in one of the elementary schools in the district. In Pennsylvania we pay a school tax, although we don’t have to pay for things like learning materials or uniforms like they do in Tanzania. The elementary schools in Reading were so over-populated that teachers sometimes had over 30 children in their classes, and it was often hard to find enough space for all of the children or find substitute teachers. While over 30 students does not compare to the 200 students in some Tanzania classrooms, it does show how having less teachers and equipment and more students has an impact on the quality of education.  Reading school district is still developing at this time, just as Tanzania schools are, but because of its geographic location near many more affluent school districts in Pennsylvania, I do believe Reading has an advantage.

3 thoughts on “Module 5: Development Case Studies”

  1. Hi Sarah, I’m Michele and I just found it really interesting how for the first part of the assignment, you focused on the education system in Tanzania and how its somewhat failing. I feel like a lot of people forget that the root of a lot of the social, economic, political issues (climate change, sustainability, poverty) in the world is lack of education and knowledge by the populations affected. It’s very important for countries, especially developing ones to invest in their academic institutions in order to provide an adequate education and learning environment to the students. Here is a link to my post:http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/26/module-5-2/

  2. Hey Sarah,

    Your post really interested me because I come from a similar type of area. I am from the Hazleton Area, and crime rates are horrible there. There has been a large influx of gang and drug activity in the area, as well as an illegal immigration issue. In my high school I had about 4,000 students, and more than half of them do not speak English as a first language. We don’t have many resources as far as ESL teachers and aides, so it is difficult on some of the students. There are some similarities to the Tanzania case.

    Hannah
    http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/26/solar-power-is-now-more-accessible-than-ever/#comments

  3. Hi Sarah, After reading about your studies I thought you brought up a lot of really interesting points. Specifically in the first one, I think everyone should be educated no matter what. I think the idea of a free education in poor areas is a great way to help those areas grow and develop over time. Although I agree with you that such a poor area may not be able to provide a very good education for free with such little funding. Although I didn’t talk about these topics feel free to check out my studies! http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/26/module-5-kevin-hosterman/

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