Some months ago an NGO, HakiElimu, published an article on the state of education in Tanzania which the then Minister of Education considered to be biased and over critical. The government suspended its operations. HakiElimu’s Chairperson protested that its reports were meant to identify education challenges and bottlenecks to allow relevant authorities to address them. She emphasised that HakiElimu was an independent organisation with a clear mandate under the terms of its registration. Just before TA went to the printer the Guardian reported that the government had stated that it was willing to extend an ‘amnesty’ and to lift the ban imposed on HakiElimu if it apologized for what was described as ‘ridiculing government efforts in development of the education sector in the country.’ But in her rejoinder, Hellen Kijo-Bisimba, Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) Executive Director and former board member of HakiElimu said the claims against the NGO lacked substance.
It is understood that negotiations are under way to try and resolve the deadlock.