Education in Tanzania

Tanzania Mainland

Tanzania has made significant progress in achieving basic education for all, especially with respect to increasing enrollment over the past 10 years. However, the introduction of free basic education in 2016 led to an influx of students into the system, and learning is lagging due to large class sizes.

The government and partners are addressing persistent challenges, including poor school conditions, teacher shortages and teacher effectiveness.

Based on the country's priority reform area – teacher workforce planning and management – GPE is supporting Tanzania to improve teaching and learning, starting with getting the right number of trained teachers deployed to the places where they are needed, namely disadvantaged areas.

A focus on gender equality and inclusion aims to hire more female teachers, improve female participation in education, and support students and teachers with special needs. A focus on the learning environment aims to ensure equitable allocation of teaching and learning materials.

Zanzibar

In 2019, Zanzibar conducted a curriculum needs assessment and found that content required updating to prepare children for life in the 21^st century. The government developed a competence-based curriculum (CBC) framework, defining learning outcomes and minimum standards for each level of education.

Zanzibar is also strengthening formative learning assessments to better understand students’ learning needs. GPE is supporting Zanzibar to accelerate reform efforts and achieve results at scale. The government and partners have endorsed improved foundational skills at the basic education level as their priority reform, focusing on reading, writing, arithmetic and creativity.

Aligned and harmonized resources support interventions, including implementing CBC at the pre-primary and primary education levels, institutionalizing teachers’ continuous professional development, and mainstreaming gender equality in education policy planning and implementation.

As part of its investment in civil society advocacy and social accountability efforts, GPE’s Education Out Loud fund is supporting:

• The Tanzania Education Network/Mtandao wa Elimu Tanzania (TEN/MET) for the 2024-2026 period. This builds on previous support from the Civil Society Education Fund (CSEF).
• Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) for the 2024-2026 period.
• Pamodzi for Inclusive Education in South-East Africa (PIESEA) led by Rays of Hope for the 2021-2024 period.

Learn more

• Tanzania (mainland and Zanzibar) is part of the KIX Africa 19 hub.
• KIX ongoing research projects:
  • Africa Regional Education System Resilience Observatory
  • Bridging Gaps and Scaling Up a School Readiness Program in Bangladesh, Nepal and Tanzania
  • Strengthening teacher professional development and mentorship in Tanzania, Kenya and South Sudan
  • Delivering responsive and inclusive initial teacher education through Design Thinking
  • Scaling enhanced use of education data at sub-national level in support of greater equity and inclusion in Tanzanian schools
  • Scaling a Youth-led Social Support and Mentorship Program to Improve Quality of Education for Marginalized Girls in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
  • Adapting assessment into policy and learning (ADAPT): Adolescent 21st Century skills in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania
  • Strengthening school based in-service teacher mentorship and support
  • The Back2School Project: Scaling an Accelerated Learning Model for Out-of-School Girls in Rural Communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania
  • Connected learning for teacher capacity building in STEM
  • Observatory on COVID-19 Responses in Educational Systems in Africa
  • Common-scale assessment of early and foundational math learning across the Global South
  • Adapting, testing and scaling a proven summer pre-primary education model in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Tanzania

Learn more