There is more to children’s numbers than ‘cultural pride’

Villages are multi faceted societies. I got the good side in my first 5 days in Mwamapalala. But, it so seems,- that is where one side of  it only stops.There are more dimensions.

The community am living with, in Mwaluhushu village, Bariadi district, is largely patriarchal and one that has a liking for more than 10 children per family, usually.

My host has 16.More than three quarters of them  are married and none went beyond class seven. His grandson Majwala has reached form 4,but there is no money to take him further.

In different interactions with mzee Ngurime, my host, we have joked about this ‘culture’ of having tens of children in  these 2 bed roomed houses.

“It’s the ‘in-thing’, it’s our thing” he says with a wink and  an air of pride, with out further explanation.

I differed with his take,with respect to the gist that, as families grower bigger for a poor household,they become less effective in how they provide for their children.

On the day when they harvest on his 8 acre plantation, the higher the  number of children the better for him. Yet, that is where it all stops.

Like her 25 year old daughter, – having her 7^th child already is all she can show.But can she ever climb up to sophistications that her fellow girls going up to university level have the potential to achieve?Will she ever unlock her potential on this small hold agriculture in this same environment? Nay

In this region , whose sibling per family average is 6.8, the population is growing at an annual  rate of  3.3 percent,some 4 points above the national average.

In Shinyanga, each woman averagely produces 6.8 children,far above the national average of 5.7.

Already, the rate at which the national population is growing,leaders say, remains a major impediment to attempts to sustain a steady education system for the next generation.

The current high fertility rate with every woman producing about six children countrywide could soon have a population explosion, which in turn, will see a dwindling quality of services like education.

Incidentally, the country’s economy had picked up in the last five years, but is yet to reach a growth rate of eight per cent required for at least 15 years before the country can claim a middle-income nation status under the Vision 2025 initiative.

According to the Presidential planning commission,, rapid population growth in situations of low economic growth like experienced in Ngurime’s home, tends to: increase outlays on consumption and draws resources away from saving for productive investment, thus retarding growth in national output through slow capital formation.

Therefore, with consumption levels going up, education facilities across the country will not be spared as the population pressure would cause strains on the Government, families and individuals.ENDS,See pictures below.