Licha ya kuwa na huo msimamo usiofungamana na dini yoyote, kati ya hizo mbili -uislamu wala ukristu- makundi yote mawili wakati ule waislamu wenye Koranic Schools ukanda wa mwambao hawakuzipokea shule hizi za Serikali.
Na wamisheni kwa wakati huo huo wakailaumu Serikali eti kwanini walianzisha shule hizi zenye mwegemeo wa kuwapendeza waislamu wale wa mwambao. Mawazo potofu kama haya yanaonekana katika maandishi mbalimbali ya wakati ule toka kila upande.
Serikali sasa inajikuta haina walimu wa kutosha kufundisha katika shule zake zile ilizoanzisha yaani state schools. Kwa nia njema tu iliamua kutumia baadhi ya walimu kutoka shule za madrasa kuja kufundisha katika hizo shule zake za Serikali hasa kwa somo la dini. Shule zenyewe kwa wakati ule zilikuwa tatu tu, Tanga School, nyingine ilikuwa Bagamoyo na nyingine ilikuwa Dar es Salaam.
Bwana Abdin A. Chande katika kitabu chake kile cha ISLAM, Ulamaa and Community Development in Tanzania ameandika haya nanukuu, “By setting up secular schools, the German attempted to appease the feelings of the Muslim population to reassure Muslims that education would not be a vehicle of proselytization. This policy of neutrality was designed to secure political and administrative ends (taz. uk. 167). Maneno haya yanatafsirika kuwa Wajerumani kwa kuanzisha shule za Serikali walitarajia kujenga uhuasiano mzuri na waswahili wa mwambao na kuwathibitishia kuwa Serikali ile haikuwa na msimamo wa kuegemea dini yoyote, bali ilidhamiria kuwasomesha raia wake wote na hivyo kuimarisha utawala wao pale.
Waarabu wa Pwani walitamka maneno kama haya, nanukuu, “Traditional Islamic Education in Tanganyika, that is in the coast area where Islam first reached, was introduced by the Arabs prior to Western style schooling, making its appearance”. (Taz. Islam, Ulamaa and Community Development in Tanzania sura ya 5 uk. 163). Maneno haya kwa tafsri yangu yanamaanisha kuwa kwa asili yake, elimu ya Kiislamu hapa nchini hususani maeneo ya mwambao kule uislamu ulikoingia kwanza, ililetwa na Waarabu kitambo kirefu kabla hata huu utaratibu wa elimu ya kizungu kuja. Mimi hili sina ubishi nalo, ni ukweli wa kihistoria hapa Tanzania hata Wazungu wamekiri katika kitabu chao kile cha society, Schools and Progress in Tanzania by J. Cameroon and W. Dodd uk. 50).
Kumbe kile kitendo cha Serikali ya Mjerumani kutumia walimu kutoka shule za madrasa na wakalipwa mishahara kutoka mfuko wa Serikali kiliwaudhi sana wamisionari wale wa mwanzo siku zile. Upande wao waliona kama Serikali ilikuwa inawabeba waislamu tu huku maeneo ya mwambao. Walionyesha kutokuridhishwa kwao na mwenendo huo wa Serikali kwa maneno namna hii nanukuu, “This led the Roman catholics to Complain that the government had a pro-muslim policy”, tena kuna matamshi kama haya nanukuu, “On the other hand, the christian missionaries were hostile to Islam and were quick to attack any government action which was construed to favour Muslims.” (Tazama Abdin N. Chande katika Islam, Ulamaa And Community Development uk. 168). Sina haja ya kutafsiri haya maana ni yale niliyotanguliza hapo juu kuonyesha kutoridhika kwa wamisionari wote kwa ujumla wao kwa tendo la Serikali kulipa mishahara kwa walimu wa madhehebu na wa madhehebu mengine wakaachwa solemba.
Lakini waswahili wa mwambao waliichukia Serikali kwa kuruhusu shule za misheni zijengwe maeneo ya mwambao. Kifikra kwa wakati ule waliamini maeneo yote ya mwambao yako chini ya himaya ya sultani wa Zanzibar, hivyo madrasa peke yake yalipaswa kuwapo na siyo shule za misheni kama kule Magila U.M.C.A na Bagamoyo kwa ma-RC. Waarabu walikuwa wazi katika dhana kama hii na wakaiambia Serikali ya mkoloni hivi, “ From the muslim point of view, however, mission education was not acceptable since the essential feature of this education was, as Ahmed Abdulla has pointed out, that the early missionaries taught literacy, primarily in order to enable African converts to read the BIBLE. This is also the purpose of Islamic madrasa or Koranic schools, whose function is to develop to the full religious side of the Muslim people (taz. Islam, Ulamaa, etc uk. 166).
Walizoea kuona na kuamini kuwa maeneo ya mwambao wahodhi (monopolize) wao kwa elimu ya Kuran tu. Mtazamo namna hii ulikuwapo hata Unguja na Pemba, hivyo kuzikataa shule za Serikali kwa kuzifikiria zinafundisha elimu ya kizungu sawa na ile wanayofundisha wamisheni. Tazama maneno ya mwandishi Sheikh Issa Bin Nassor Al – Ismaily katika kitabu chake kiitwacho Zanzibar – Kinyang’anyiro na Utumwa uk. 71 – 72 pale Sheikh huyo ameandika hivi, “Kwa karne nyingi watu wa Zanzibar na mwambao kwa ujumla walikuwa wakitumia Khati zinazotumiwa katika Qur’an na masomo ya dini yao ya kiislamu. Lugha yote ya Kiswahili mashairi yote na tenzi zote yakiandikwa na kusomwa kwa lugha ya Kiswahili kwa kutumia Khati hizo zinazotumika katika kuandika Qur’an na ambazo ndizo walizozizoea kuzitumia tangu ianze dini ya Kiislam.
Sasa kwa ghafla, katika kuanzisha hizo skuli za misheni ikaambiwa abjadi hiyo haifai na isitumike tena na badala yake ikachukuliwa ile ya herufi za kizungu ziitwazo ‘Roman Script’ inayotumika makanisani na ikawa ndiyo ya kufundisha watoto kusoma na kuandika huko skuli. Yote haya yaliwakatisha tamaa wazee wa watoto na kuwazuia kupeleka watoto wao skuli kwa kuchelea wasije kuingizwa katika ‘ukristo’ hasa pale ilipogundulika kwamba abjadi hiyo hutumika makanisani. Wazee wa watoto wa mwambao tangu hapo mwanzo kwa mashaka waliyokuwa nayo (suspicion) hawakupenda kabisa kupeleka watoto wao katika skuli za Serikali” hivyo ndivyo alivyosema Sheikh Issa bin Nassor Al – Ismaily.
Hapa inaonekana dhahiri, waswahili wa mwambao hawakupendelea ule utaratibu wa shule nyingine zaidi ya madrasa zijengwe ukanda wa pwani. Walilaumu Serikali kwa kuruhusu shule za misheni maeneo ya pwani kwa kupwelea kuwa na uwezekano watoto wao wangeongolewa kwenye ukristu!
Mawazo potofu namna hii yaliwafanya waswahili wa mwambao kutangaza wazi wazi kuwa, “Education was a very sensitive issue with Muslims and the substitution of the old Islamic system of education by a new secular one reinforced the wish on the part of some parents to keep their children away from the new education system. No where was this more true than in the case of Kilwa when forced by the Germans to send their children to school, the waungwana of Kilwa sent children of their slaves while their own went to koranic schools/madrasa (taz. Islam, Ulamaa and Ccommunity in Tanzania uk. 167). Ndiyo kusema licha ya fursa kubwa kielimu walizopata watu wa mwambao siku zile kuelimisha watoto wao, jamaa hawa waswahili hawakuzitumia.
Brigedia Jenerali mstaafu Francis Mbenna anapatikana katika simu 0715 806758. Alikuwa mwalimu wa sekondari na Afisa wa JWTZ. Ni mwanahistoria na ameandika kitabu cha HISTORIA YA ELIMU TANZANIA toka 1892 hadi sasa (Dar es Salaam University Bookshop).
Jamhuri