Assessing Institutional Performance towards Its Perspectives on the Arts in Higher Education in Tanzania

Abstract

Recent developments in the field of higher education and human development, have led to a call for greater clarity about the outputs, skills, and knowledge an institution offers, and the quality of a degree or program. Nevertheless, research has consistently shown that students, teachers, institutions, and employers understand that graduates do attain and add something to the body of knowledge. However, this chapter argues that neither academic performance nor institutional performance has clearly managed to put an emphasis on Education Key Performance Indicators to signal what a graduate from an arts higher learning institution was able to do. Hence, a paper qualification has been given priority, and the situation has brought about a need for assessing institutional performance to understand how an institution, program, department, course, and students must progress toward Competence-Based Education (CBE). Findings from qualitative research incorporating semi-structured interviews with 40 arts alumni from Bagamoyo College of Arts, the University of Dar-Es-salaam, Makumira University, and Butimba Teachers College in Tanzania, show that many graduates lack adequate and defined key skills, attitudes, and behaviors to successfully meet their ability to master a skill or goals, eventually, solve public problems.

1. Introduction

One of the most significant current discussions in education and human development is based on academic perspectives of institutional performance toward meeting the right skills and knowledge as the primary source of the new creative economy. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the arts as an essential part of a high quality of life and a way human beings operate globally. Hence, the quality of being worthy of attention to the arts is due to sociological and epistemological perspectives. That is to say, the integration of art-rich education will shape human capital, stimulate the right future skills, and enhance the labor market competitive situation, practices, and creative workforce livelihoods. As Bamford et al. argue, “on communication, technology, and meaning-making grows, our schools need to focus on art-rich education that encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and reflection. The new reality is the critical and aesthetic realm of learning” [1]. However, this chapter argues that a major problem with this kind of application lies in the understanding and practical implication of the two basic components of “effectiveness” and “efficiency” as dimensions of the concept of institutional performance [2]. In clarification, as defined by Lindsay and others, “effectiveness”, is concerned with the agreement or compatibility between outputs and goals or other criteria; while, “efficiency”, is another essential component which many academics have failed to give some amount of attention to. This is a component that links outputs with inputs, and its relationship to the entire economic concepts of efficiency and productivity [2].

Reports show that the issue of arts-rich education inclusion in Higher Education in Tanzania and many African countries has been a controversial and much-disputed aspect within the education perspectives from primary schools to higher education levels [1, 2, 3]. In that context, there is a need to revisit creative arts in higher education and assess institutional performances toward meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4 based on Quality Education for enhanced Competency-Based Education (CBE). Prioritizing the arts helps to accelerate technical skills, give focus on the regenerative power of the creative arts field, attain real-world impact on equity, and, allows students to advance based on their ability to master a skill or competency at their own pace regardless of the existing learning environment [3, 4].

So far, however, I argued that there has been a knowledge gap in the creative arts field of study. The gap incorporates a lack of adequate ways to shape human capital as an innate talent, skills, knowledge, and experience toward enhancement of creative workforce skills, employability, competencies, and capabilities as valued aspects in higher education academic performance. Unfortunately, academic performance as a measurement of student achievement across various academic subjects in the “learning profile” [5], and institutional performance as a concept that embodies the effectiveness and efficiency as well defined above, bring together students, teachers, and institutions on the stage. Linked in a teacher education setting, the dimensions above support the institution’s ability to assess how well a higher education institution is doing to support its student’s success in key areas focused on completion, persistence, retention, and transfer of the right skills as far as the socio-economic development aspect is concerned [6].

The aim of this book chapter is to examine, analyze, and assess institutional performance in perspectives on the arts in higher education in Tanzania toward transforming the arts educational system for equity. In that context, this book chapter structure is put into six parts slightly following IMRAD, the common scientific writing format. In this case, the chapter is organized in the following way: Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results/Research findings, Serious Discussion and Conclusion. Put another way, this chapter analyzes the views of 40 arts alumni interviewed from Bagamoyo College of Arts, the University of Dar-Es-salaam, Makumira University, and Butimba Teachers College in Tanzania. The chapter examines the relationships, addresses a number of questions, and tests the major hypothesis that reads “There is a strong relationship between institutional performance and competence-based education approach focused on arts-rich education inclusion in Higher Education in Tanzania”. Based on the findings, the chapter revisits creative arts institutional performances toward meeting their goals. It also develops some strategies and policy implications to support graduates’ contribution in demands to the job markets and global skills gap in the permanently changing international context [7].

2. Literature review

2.1 The creative era and academic performance

During the past 30 years, much more literature has been published on “a knowledge-based society” and “knowledge-based economy” [8, 9, 10]. The knowledge-based society refers to social relations as carriers of knowledge that facilitate us to learn new things, reinforce old ideas, solve problems, make decisions, and mold one to be creative [8, 9]. The term knowledge-based economy is linked to knowledge and human creativity as the primary resources of the new creative era and economy fit for the twenty-first Century. The published literature has clarified that creativity and innovation are machines with moving parts that convert power into motion, eventually, forming a process through which an economy creates, applies, and extracts value from knowledge, because creativity is what drives economic growth today [9, 10, 11]. Relatively, on the perspectives of the arts in Higher education, the recent evidence shows that knowledge in arts education has to constitute the quality artistic and cultural learning within the entire education perspective. It has to be linked to the education policy statements which must strongly put an emphasis on the importance of the cultural dimension and encourage artistic and esthetic development in graduates. Finally, it constitutes academic performance as a measurement of a graduate’s achievement across various academic subjects, for example, measures a graduate’s achievement using classroom performance, graduation rates, and results from standardized tests [1, 11].

As Schneider et al. remind us, institutional performance in arts higher education must accommodate programs that “create an excellent framework for personality development: learning knowledge, learning skills and learning life” [12]. In other words, the institutional performance in arts education goes beyond the realm of Students, Teachers, and Institutions on one stage. It goes further by painting out the quality and impact of an educational plan, curriculum, educational practice, and pedagogical approach that reflects at a later stage how the quality of a public service provision, effectiveness, and efficiency in a graduate’s performance in the field [10, 13]. It paints an implication toward the clear meaning of education “Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)” also as a graduate’s success that supports the institution’s ability, effectiveness, and efficiency and how it adds value to the national economies, improving the quality of education, and eventually, has some implications for the arts education [1, 12, 13].

2.2 The competency-based education and transforming arts education systems

One of the most significant and widespread findings from the research case studies is that in transforming arts education systems, there is an urgent need for the inclusion of the neglected “efficiency” dimension [2]. Thus, in assessing and examining the institutional performance and its relationship to the economic concepts of efficiency and productivity as far as the growing web of the arts in education is concerned, the arts are no longer restricted to visual arts, performing arts, and museums, but incorporate the cultural and the growing creative industries disciplines [1]. In clarification, the disciplines incorporate the cultural sectors genres as both tangible and intangible cultural heritage resources, visual and performing arts; film and television; digital media; social media; design with the inclusion of web and games design; festival and event management; creative writing and publishing. All influences shape graduates’ lives, contribute, prepare, and give them the ability to come up with unique solutions or infinite solutions to challenges they encounter. Thus, arts higher education graduates in their respective workplaces in the growing creative workforce are expected to be creative and innovative and employees that have the ability to think out of the box instead of simply waiting to be told what to do [14].

However, a recent study by Bridgstock et al. argues that “the creative workforce is far more heterogeneous than either of these positions suggest, and creative careers are far more complex and diverse than previously thought” [15]. Likewise, Hearn and Rooney contend that knowledge is becoming more complex and presents new challenges [9]. Such challenges include how to sharpen the cognitive competencies of youth graduates, and ways to make them appreciate real-world learning, master a skill or competency at their own pace regardless of the environment, and finally, produce education innovators [13, 16]. So far, however, I argue that the conclusions above would have been more useful if the authors had included employing the Competency-Based Education Approach (CBEA) linked or with a vision to meet different learning abilities as those qualities that provide successful learning that can lead to achieving some more efficient student outcomes throughout their learning and career environment.

2.3 Skills gap and revisiting creative arts institutional performance

The first serious discussions and analyses of the arts emerged during the 1990s with the emergence of the term “creative industries” first in Australia in 1994 when launching the report, Creative Nation. Later, the term was given wider exposure by policymakers in the United Kingdom in 1997, and its scope was broadened beyond the arts, including the business side of the artifacts produced, which, now implies the creative economy [8, 17]. The goals of arts education in cultural, social, and esthetic contexts vary from one country to another, all in regard to the formal and informal settings in which the arts education occurs [1, 8]. In Tanzania, like in many African countries, there has been an increasing interest and debate around the notion of the creative arts, creative industries, and creative economy as new entrants in higher education focused on promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Fortunately, its education and development agenda coincides with SDG 4 of inclusive and equitable quality education and SDG 5 of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls [18].

However, the current mainstream education systems have remained unchanged over the last few years, while the demand for job markets has entirely shifted. Recent reports show that “by 2030, around 85 million jobs will remain unfilled globally due to the skill shortages resulting in a loss of US$8.5 trillion” [7]. In that context, Tanzania is in the process of overhauling its current 2014 Education and Training Policy so as to meet the current demands of the job markets and existing global skills gap focused on strengthening economic, social, scientific, and technological transformation for quality education [19]. As argued by McWilliam and Pamela Burnard, the drastic changes that occur drive individual artists, politicians, policy and lawmakers, and governments to refocus arts education toward economic ends, youth employability, and social relations as carriers of knowledge. These must be blended closely with “excellence, performance enhancement, efficiency and effectiveness of the workforce” [20]. Evidently, the demands of the current job markets are now shaping and influencing policymakers to revisit institutional performance, find adequate ways to transform arts education and training so as to optimize the creative capacities of graduates, and, successfully meet their ability to master a skill or goals, also, help them in successfully solving public problems.

2.4 The arts education embedment in social and cultural contexts

A considerable amount of literature has been published on the indispensable quality of arts education embedment in social and cultural contexts through the broad spectrum of opportunities provided by arts from culture and cultural heritage to Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) [1, 8, 21]. Incidentally, this book chapter proposes that there is a need to revisit the value of arts and culture in education for the enhancement of knowledge from its social-cultural contexts and to build resilience. As Canclini contends:

“instead of the death of traditional cultural forms, we now discover that tradition is in transition, and articulated to modern processes. Reconversion prolongs their existence. To reconvert cultural capital means to transfer symbolic patrimony from one site to another in order converse it, increase its yield, and better the position of those who practice it” [21].

To illustrate the above quotation, in assessing institutional performance toward its goals on perspectives of the arts in Higher education in Tanzania, arts and cultural capital inclusion is essential in students’ “learning profile” [5]. In the contexts of art education (e.g. at the scope of intelligence, creativity, innovation, gender, art and culture, and pedagogical practices) for a graduate’s future achievement, various factors need to be observed with the inclusion of designing learning experiences and learning approaches. In clarification, the pedagogical practices have to be embedded with, firstly, academic literacies including immersive virtual reality for their livelihoods and for the quality of public service provision as far as institutional performance is concerned. Secondly, bridging research and practice in graduates’ learning so as to launch and enhance graduates’ learning capabilities and outcomes, as their social-cultural interactions or experiences in the real world. Thirdly, internationalize the arts higher education program curricula as a reconversion process with a focus on prolonging the existence of their cultural heritage and cultural capital to articulate modern processes. Fourthly, embed the conceptual social-cultural context and cultural capital by incorporating an “entrepreneurial mindset” [22]. On the whole, the embedment in social-cultural contexts has to support and harness arts, Cultural, and Creative Industries (CCI) in education by expanding learning outcomes, capacities, and skills for graduates’ awareness and personal development; spurring them to creativity and innovation; lifelong learning and make them get exposed to the encompassing of the digital technologies for their social interactions and learning outcomes [18, 23].

3. Methods

3.1 Research design

A selection of the research design as a plan, structure, and strategy of investigation, normally provides a framework for the collection and analysis of data [24]. It also influences all outcomes of a particular study [25]. In that context, the current study employed an overarching case study that incorporated a qualitative method of data collection focused on obtaining answers to the study questions or problem [26]. Eventually, the study managed to assess institutional performance scope and impact in arts education and its true relations or relative importance in Tanzania’s Higher education environment. The researcher is an insider observer who has worked extensively in education, arts, and cultural sectors as an educator and creative expert offered added value in understanding, examining, and assessing the educational, social, cultural relations, ethical and methodological dilemmas, and respondent’s views relevance to their real world [27]. Therefore, the research employed semi-structured interviews and observations to examine 40 arts alumni from Bagamoyo College of Arts, the University of Dar-Es-salaam, Makumira University, and Butimba Teachers College through an internet survey approach, face-to-face and telephone interviews on reflections and implications. The researcher examined participant’s reflections and suggestions employing the following basic questions:

• RQ1. What are the contemporary challenges facing arts higher education graduates as far as academic performance and institutional performance are concerned in Tanzania?

• RQ2. To what extent has the arts education system inspired graduates to discover their creative capital, master a skill, and solve public problems?

• RQ3. What future policy and program interventions are recommended to enhance Tanzania’s arts education in higher learning institutions?

• RQ4. How the presence of art education in Universities/VETA/Tertiary Institutes has helped reduce the unemployment problem for young people in Tanzania?

3.2 Participants and procedure

As the research design section above outlines, this study selected arts alumni who were best equipped with adequate information to contribute to an in-depth understanding of the case the study wanted to assess [24, 25, 26]. The sample was convenience or volunteer sampling, but the researcher sought to secure the best sample representative of the population from a sampling frame, from which the sample was drawn [26]. Therefore, the study determined the actual size of the sample needed by selecting carefully 40 respondents from the industry segment of arts alumni from Bagamoyo College of Arts, the University of Dar-Es-salaam, Makumira University, and Butimba Teachers College. The researcher chose the sample on the basis that it was a representative of the population as a whole, bearing in mind that the sample’s main characteristics were similar or identical to those of the population through random selection [25, 26, 28] that focused on: firstly, testing the major hypothesis as stipulated in the introduction section above. Secondly, to assess and develop some strategic recommendations related to (i) the “effectiveness” and “efficiency” as dimensions of the concept of institutional performance and (ii) support the notion of competency-based education (CBE) approaches to meet different learning abilities that can lead to more efficient arts alumni outcomes. In brief, draw some policy implications to support graduates’ contribution in demands to the job markets, solve public problems, and fill the global skills gap in the permanently changing national and global contexts.

3.3 Data analysis

The study was designed as empirical research, in its context, the research employed a systematic and organized initiative as a process to assess the above-stipulated problem or content that needs a solution [29]. Admittedly, the current study did apply qualitative methods of data collection and analysis so as to produce valid, reliable, and trustworthy data [30]. As Strauss and Corbin conclude, in applying qualitative data, researchers believe that the data obtained need not be analyzed at all, but should merely be presented so as to allow the data to “speak for themselves” [26, 29]. As a matter of fact, a decision on the unit of analysis in qualitative research has to be made at the design stage [31]. Therefore, the study mainly employed content analysis that went beyond description, and interpretation to understand and explain so as to gain new insight, make inferences, and identify new characteristics in the collected data [26, 30]. The content analysis mainly employed three basic procedures for identifying classes and categories: (i) Common classes (i.e. age, gender, boss, worker) (ii) Special classes (i.e. Labels like groups/communities, types of language, and professional terms) (iii) theoretical classes (classes that arise in the process of analyzing the particular data) [24, 26, 30]. Eventually, the data analysis allowed summarizing the content analysis, clarifying ambiguous materials in the analysis, and finally, structuring the content analysis [30].

4. Research findings

This section contains summaries of the data that mainly focus on the main findings of the research. It actually consists of emergent themes respondents (alumni) considered worth paying attention to all in respect to their reflections and suggestions aligned to the basic questions asked by the researcher. In that context, the key themes included nurturing talents and prioritizing creative arts education; academic, educational, and institutional performance. More precisely, followed how to build a creative workforce and adopt new technologies, a need to establish creative hubs and professional networks through digital platforms and related adequate ways. Another thematic area was based on a question, “Why is there a need to adopt a competency-based education (CBE) approach in the arts higher education pedagogical system?”

4.1 Nurturing talents and prioritizing arts education

A key theme was the importance of nurturing talents and prioritizing arts education. Respondents emphasized that as far as academic and institutional performances are concerned in Universities/VETA or Tertiary Institutes, there is a need for arts education not to be given impartial treatment from birth to lower primary school, secondary schools, higher learning institutions to work by having in place compelling policies, time, space, and resources, and presence of motivated teachers or creative staff who can help to inspire and prepare graduates to enter the creative workforce with competency. Many respondents argued that arts education tends to be poorly taught and resourced compared to other areas of general education. Thus, as a result, the shortfalls are seen beyond their educational and academic performances due to the fact that many graduates lack effectiveness or quality performances in their creative careers.

Poor development of youth innate skill of competence as children’s creativity, cultural capital, or human capital during the period from birth to the end of youth hood was a feature of some respondents’ views in the study. The following data obtained describe or speak for themselves:

“I think, in achieving desired goals as far as the institutional performance of arts education in higher learning institutions as a process has to accommodate a responsibility of power…this has to start from parents at home by identification the innate skills, interests, and inspirations of creative young people who would be assets to the industry. That extends to teachers, the community, and policymakers so as to give attention to youth creative interests, develop a road map with a successful implementation plan… learning and training strategies for the achievement of the drawn arts educational plans and policies” F3

Other statements from the data below as quotations from the interview, reflect the feeling of the majority of participants of the study:

“I have a feeling that Tanzanian policymakers tend to ignore and sometimes fail to recognize the value of the arts in the fundamental mission of education. Thus, give less attention to arts educational and policy plans…reports show that this has extended to poor budget allocations, teacher training, and arts institutional or departments resource allocations that have resulted to poor institutional performance… as arts education is merely considered as an option” P5

“In my experience as an arts graduate, I believe from the bottom of my heart that arts educational experiences can produce significant positive impacts on skills, social, academic and qualification development…and most importantly make graduates help in solving challenges the public encounter” H2

The qualitative unit of analysis and the respondents’ views above, interpret a need to nurture talents and prioritize arts education in the learning profile so as to go beyond enabling graduates to earn certificates and credentials and contribute to the attainment of desired educational goals, plans, and policies [31].

4.2 Academic, educational, and institutional performance

Alumni in the field mentioned that their academic performance and achievement across various creative arts faculty genres as a measurement in their careers have rarely made their educational and institutional performance clear. T3 expressed her passion for becoming a creative expert in a public institution as a pathway to help shape public policies that can be implemented to enhance teaching and learning, nurture creative talents, and make creative artists add value to Tanzania’s national creative economy initiatives. “I think there is a need to improve the quality of arts education in higher learning institutions so as to uplift graduates’ competence in the real world and make some transformation or effective contribution to meeting the desired development goals, vision, plans, and policies” T3. Again, C8 emphasized that internships in arts education at higher learning institutions must be given priority and well-scrutinized so as to enhance educational and institutional performance. The following comment expounds on that initiative: “Internship must be part and parcel of educational performance at all arts higher level or tertiary institutions so as to offer meaningful, field practical work to students for their future career exploration and development due to the fact that…the opportunity gives a student an ample chance to learn, strengthen self-help skills and experience, bring new innovative ideas, new energy into the workplace, develop his or her talent, and eventually, potentially build expertise for her or his future full-time employment”M6 encourages on the importance of assessing and evaluating learning outcomes in Higher learning arts institutions. As the scope of the arts is no longer confined to cultural heritage and theaters, quality arts education can be obtained by having in place effective policies that can be implemented to enhance teaching and learning, while appreciating that arts education and programs are embedded in their unique social adaptation and cultural contexts [1, 2, 4]. “I believe, as the globe experiences a growing web of the arts from cultural industries to creative industries, incorporating the business side of the products that have their origin in individual creativity, skills, and talent and have the potential for job creation, livelihoods… higher learning institutions have to build meaningful collaboration with practitioners, policymakers, and communities”G7.

In his classic definition of the above keywords, Pounder briefly concludes that institutional performance is the achievement of desired goals and the successful implementation of educational plans and policies. Additionally, Pounder clarifies that “Over the past two decades, institutions of higher education worldwide have come under pressure to demonstrate effective performance. Their response has been to borrow the quality concept from industry and place it at the center of institutional performance assessment in higher education” [31].

4.3 Building a creative workforce and adopting new technologies

In transforming arts education systems in higher learning institutions for equity, many respondents identified that institutions must stay ahead of the technical skills revolution by adopting new digital skills and technologies for social, economic, and cultural sustainability in development. J4 highlights some shortfalls in arts education systems in higher education institutions in Tanzania as far as promoting a creative workforce and creative careers is concerned. “I think with the trend of not giving priority arts education from primary to higher level institutions can’t help in nurturing students passion as pathways to literacy and employment or promoting a creative workforce…it is unfortunate that good actors or actresses have become vendors/hawkers; excellent painters have opted to be politicians and good designers have turned to be lawyers and the like”J4.

Likewise, a change in pedagogical approaches and adopting new technologies were features of most respondents’ views: “I mean teachers are supposed to move from using outdated pedagogical ways in the teaching and learning environment…I think a change is needed, they should incorporate diverse approaches of oral and practice”B3. Again, L5 expressed her feelings that “Aaa…I see our arts education system lacks the development of creativity and innovation within the learning environment.E2 emphasized, “Teachers have to be taken on refresher training courses so as to take them back to basics of teacher education, review fundamentals, and upskill they might have forgotten…upgrade their ability this can make them adopt new information in their teaching career and new technologies they may be unaware of to motivate learner…this can help inspire or expose graduates to employ new digital media to discover and learn new information and skills effectively”.P12 insisted, “adopting new technologies built on existing community strengths (i.e. Cultural heritage), can make teachers stay ahead of teaching skills revolution…put forward content and give priority to practical opportunities in the learning and teaching environment, enhance social stability and professional networks by corresponding and working with leading innovative practitioners from around the world… also in promoting the creative workforce teachers can give advice to graduates as freelancers/self-employed to establish creative hubs for their sustainable development”.

The above respondents’ comments take a broad view of institutional performance and incorporate factors that corroborate with the 2030 United Nations Agenda Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4. The statements and the SDG insist on quality education with a focus on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education at the very moment promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

4.4 Adopt the competency-based education (CBE) approach

A good number of respondents in the field mentioned a need to adopt the Competence-Based Education (CBE) approach. The reasons behind the comment above included allowing students to proceed well with their studies or master a skill or competency in regard to their learning ability or pace; and enhancing teaching and learning exercises regardless of the environment. Eventually, the approach can help or lead to more efficient two-way traffic of student–teacher outcomes and groom future star employees. A9 said, “Transforming arts education in higher education for equity, teachers have to bear in mind learners’ ability to pick up new information and skills”.F4 described that “there are slow and fast learners…therefore, teachers have to employ different styles of learning like visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, and social to attain quality arts education and help graduates enter the labor market and conduct their jobs smoothly, eventually, solve public problems”L2 commented as follows: “I think, in the current situation many higher arts learning institutions lack a sense of commitment in building creative career pathways by incorporating new programs and services to enable graduates to meet the growing creative career market” Again, most respondents described the issue as follows: B10 said, “Yeah…I mean the government has to do some curriculum changes based on policy and creative jobs development planning so as to promote institutional performance as far as arts education and the value chain of the creative works are concerned”.

The above data analysis from respondents is in sympathy with a need for transforming arts education in higher learning institutions for equity and institutional performance, so as to create a conducive environment, where an institution, program, department, course, and students can earn credentials for in-demand skills. The transformation in arts education has to progress for social, educational, and cultural development, improve and clear the purpose and quality of the arts with the inclusion of pedagogical changes. The changes have to transform art education systems, add value to the national economies, and promote new creative jobs that can contribute to the elimination of youth unemployment as one of the key global challenges [8, 19, 31].

5. Arts education in higher learning institutions discussion and implications

While appreciating that arts education, students, teachers, and programs in higher learning institutions have to be embedded in a unique social, educational, and cultural context, the findings above support and identify a number of the concrete regenerative power of the arts and the entire cultural and the creative industries sector. Graduates emphasized diverse ways to accomplish this. Their reflections on how institutional performance can transform arts education systems for equity in higher learning institutions are linked to how institutions, students, programs, departments, and courses can accelerate the learners’ ability to master a skill or goal with advanced content in a practical manner.

In brief, the findings in this study highlight several implications from alumni reflections in relation to the recognition and harnessing of the arts, cultural, and creative industries, growing creative career pathways, public policy, and creative workforce development planning. Additionally, the findings articulate embedded creativity and innovation as components of institutional performance embodying effectiveness and efficiency dimensions, which both link outputs with inputs, to address the research questions above. This book chapter argues that the prioritizing of creative arts education in the Twenty-first Century education framework and revisiting institutional performance in higher education will not only help in closing the existing skills, social, economic, and knowledge gap in the job market but will also help the poor and marginalized young people attain a resilient future. Finally, this book chapter suggests the following to be put into action so as to realize a concrete institutional performance purpose of the Twenty-first Century Arts Education Framework in Tanzania as a developing country:

Firstly, enhancement of the effective dimension in institutional performance. This notion as viewed by graduates and confirmed by the findings above, seeks to make the best or most effective use built on the existing practical opportunities in relation to educational and academic performances. The data from the findings denote that effective dimensions must focus on expanding learning outcomes, learners’ capabilities, and skills through the broad sphere of opportunities in the arts, heritage, cultural, and creative industries (CCI) encompassing digital technologies [2, 23].

Secondly, conceptualization and measurement of inputs and outputs components. In revisiting the study reports, literature, and alumni views, the data show that arts education in higher learning institutions in Tanzania like in any other country has goals and a defined process so as to attain the institutions or the area of study vision and mission. However, the findings as far as “the conceptualization and measurements of inputs and outputs” [2] are concerned, many institutions lack, for example, adequate resources, like books, buildings, and competent teachers for an institution’s effectiveness and efficiency as opposed to the drastic changes that occur in the cultural and creative industries sector and demands of the twenty-first century job market.

Thirdly, the quality concept in arts education, specifically in higher learning institutions in Tanzania was a most significant phenomenon viewed by a good number of respondents. The data of analysis managed to show that many graduates when being to work fail to prove or build upon the quality of knowledge and skills they attained while still at college as opposed to comparative assessment of institutional performance. Many lack adequate and defined key skills, creativity and innovation, attitudes, and behaviors to successfully meet their ability to master a skill or goal, and eventually, solve public problems [31]. The quality concept with a view to addressing contemporary challenges encountered in the field of performance and quality concept, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gives credence to leading more fulfilling lives, equipped with adequate knowledge and skills, attaining positive changes, and be more adaptable in the lens of the increasing global contemporary challenges [23].

6. Conclusion

This book chapter assessed how graduates from Tanzanian Higher Education Institutions regard the importance of institutional performance toward meeting its goals with perspectives on arts education. Findings revealed that there is a need for nurturing talents and prioritizing arts education due to the fact that the arts contribute to shaping and influencing learners’ daily lives through the media, cultural, and creative industries all confined to lifelong learning [1, 8]. This chapter asserts that academic, educational, and institutional performances are the key attributes of quality education, and thus, add value to individual and nation’s economic, social, and cultural development. It has discussed how arts, cultural, and creative industries can be used in promoting a creative workforce, make graduates adopt new technologies, and cater to employment challenges youth encounter in both African and developing countries.

However, this chapter has clarified why there is a need of adopting the Competency-Based Education (CBE) approach in the learning profile that encompasses talent and intelligence, gender, and cultural aspects and argued for differentiated learning approaches. Additionally, the book chapter has outlined and suggested some recommendations. These include but are not confined to:

• Transforming arts education systems for equity in higher learning institutions so as to help in closing the skills gap that exists in Tanzania as a developing country.

• To stimulate the right future skills, and embedded creativity, and innovation as components of creative cultural occupations outside the creative industries [32].

• Prioritize “entrepreneurial intention” [33] to boost new creative employment opportunities, creative skills, autonomy, creativity, and start-up capital issues to creative arts graduates so as to enhance institutional performance as far as economic, social, cultural, and technological advancement are concerned.

Along with its contributions, the current study has some limitations. It did focus on only a few national higher education art institutions in Tanzania, and, as a result, a future study in the context of representing a complete development of arts education foundation from pre-natal to adulthood is needed. Future research could make a rich contribution by examining alumni perceptions of how identification, and, nurturing talents from birth to adulthood could help in maximizing graduates’ flexible pathways to become productive and engaging members of a given democratic society (Table 1) [34].

Code	Gender	Year of graduation	Degree/major	Occupation
F3	Male	2020	Law	Advocate, Private Firm
P5	Female	2021	Performing and Fine Arts	Self-employed, Founder
H2	Male	2020	Culture and Heritage	Community manger, Cultural heritage site
T3	Female	2020	Theater Arts	Creative expert in public office at District level
C8	Male	2021	Computer Science	CEO, Founder of a private company
M6	Male	2022	Music	Self-employed
G7	Male	2021	Graphic Design	Freelancer
J4	Male	2021	Journalism	TV and Community Radio presenter
B3	Male	2020	BA with Education Degree	Teacher VETA Institute
L5	Female	2022	Law (LLB)	Copyright Law Association
E2	Male	2020	Engineering	Founder of a private firm as an Architecture
P12	Female	2021	Performing and Fine arts	Self-employed
A9	Male	2020	Creative arts	CEO and founder of a creative hub
F4	Female	2021	Film and Television	Creative expert self-employed
L2	Female	2020	Law (LLB)Majoring in IP	Private creative firm as a Lawyer
B10	Male	2021	BA with Education	Teacher in an Arts Institution

Table 1.

Respondents.