Lockdown has been introduced in many parts across the world due to corona virus. This has forced schools to shut down for unknown period of time in order to safeguard students from the pandemic. 

In Tanzania, as in many parts of the world, the first action against the corona was closure of schools. This was a good move. However, the shutdown of schools has and is exacerbating inequality.  Students from well-off families are  able to continue with studies via technology while deprived students have been left wondering.  This entry is going to address the inequality by trying to suggest means of covering the gap between well-offs and deprived students. A gap that is contributed by different social factors including the level of understanding and income.

Education is elitist hence can be oppressive as it produces classes within the society. Presently, this is becoming more evident when the world is in midst of a pandemic crisis. When schools are laid off the provision of education is left on household to maintain. Teaching at home is a dilemma for parents who do not have education as well as for those who do not see the importance of doing so. In addition, it can be very difficult for working people to find the daily bread and do the teaching. Given this situation, many are failing to provide education to their children. Although home teaching is a nightmare to some, there people who are fortunate enough to provide their children with online courses and appropriate guidance.

In his book, ‘Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance’, Robert Pirsig emphasizes the importance of engagement as a necessity for excellence. When the quality of our education system is wrecked up with the pandemic, the best way is to engage different stakeholders to save the quality of education. The quality of education is measured by the ability of the receivers to live to their full potential through engagement, virtue and wisdom. Thus, during this pandemic, we can engage in the following ways to uphold our education system:

First, the schools can provide material to students. The school system can still be used for distributing study materials to their students or students within their locality. Teacher can develop study material and provide copies which parents and guardians can collect. This won’t solve the whole situation, but it will reduce the problem especially for students who are deprived by study material. The community and social institution such as Church organisations can help morally or financial in supporting the schools towards material provision. The use of school as intermediary for provision of study material will help to occupy the teachers and students can return their work to receive a written feedback from teachers.

In addition, the Ministry of Education can co-operate with newspapers to provide a section or couple of pages with study material.  The sections which includes study material can be provided free. This will create adequate supply of study material and it will also exploit the distribution channel of newspapers.

 When there is enough material supply in the country, it will ease penetrate and reduce the gap. Though this by itself won’t be enough to reach to the most in need but it will reach to a significant group of students who need such materials.

Lastly, we can exploit the power of big society ‘third pillar’ to ensure that education quality is maintained. This will be achieved if every member of the society participates in whatever means they can by engaging students around them. While engagement is crucial to ensure the quality of education, we should also bear in mind the health advice and precautions which are provided by experts. 

In these ways, we shall help students who are on risk of not returning to school because they would have been engaged with other life courses when the normal school routine resumes.

Comments (0)     

The founding philosophy of Bumaco Insurance Company, which originates from its mother company- Bumaco Ltd is to serve people in management and development. The Bumaco family aims at bringing about development through good management practices. Insurance, thus, becomes one of the management tools that are crucial for development. It is a risk management tool that brings back the person into his normal status upon a loss occurrence. This is our promise. To bring the insured back to his/her status in the event of a loss. 

Bumaco Insurance Company sells promises – that is to “we will pay you when you get a loss.”  This promise is the solution to the problem. We provide solutions to risks.  And since we sell promises and exist to serve – we have placed claim as our main focus. We focus on paying claims. We do this through:

• Educating our customers on how to file claims and the entire process
• We strive to process the filed claims as fast as possible
• We pay claims on time

Paying claim is our first priority- and that is why we provide insurance with certainty. 

Comments (0)     

The link between insurance and poverty reduction is not always in front of our minds. Many of us relate insurance to the ‘haves’. But at BUMACO, it has always been known that insurance is a service that is mostly needed by the ‘haves not’ than the ‘haves’. Insurance plays a key role in fighting poverty.  As BUMACO exists to serve people in management and development, it has servie clients for 35 years in areas of rural development, risk management, micro financing, strategic planning, and feasibility studies among many other services that we offer. Since 1980, the Company has been at the forefront in the match against poverty in Tanzania and all over the world.

Insurance has been one of the Company’s core weapons in this match against poverty. In 1981, as part of its consulting services particularly in the area of risk management, the Company started an insurance agent to provide insurance services. As Tanzania adopted liberal policies in early 1990s, it got an opportunity to expand to insurance brokerage. In 2009, the Company took a further step of faith and established Insurance Company licensed to provide general insurance (marine and non-marine). The vision of Bumaco Insurance Company is  - ‘insurance services with certainty’.  

The match towards poverty eradication thus continues. But question remains, where and how does insurance comes in the fight against poverty?  Last week during a coaching session to the Bumaco Insurance Company management team, the consultant, Mr. Nelson Kuria, who is an immediate former CEO of CIS Insurance Group of Kenya explained the way insurance fights poverty as follows:

• Insurance is a solution that empowers the people. It does so by enabling people to manage risks and assuring them of sustainable development.
• Insurance acts as a cushion for people from falling below where they are in case of a tragedy that can cause loss.
• It catalyzes development as it allows people to take more risks. It thus releases people from comfort zone into taking more risks.
• It acts and provides an immediate saving through low premium that covers a lot more.

In light of those, we all need to revisit our understanding of insurance in the developing world. We need to bring in insurance as a strategic tool in the fight against poverty. BUMACO understands this and that is why it has offered insurance policies to co-operatives  (savings and credit societies- SACCOS) in rural settings. This is because it wants to cushions the farmers from falling back off. It wants to encourage them to save and take more risks by taking more loans so as they can increase their production levels. 

So as to meet all its potential customers in Tanzania with the understanding that 70% are living in rural or low income regions, the Company is spread all over the country with agencies in low income regions and districts. 

Comments (0)