Education Challenges in Tanzania

The following re some of the major huddles faced in the Tanzanian system of education.

• Low transition rate from primary to secondary school. Less than one third of all candidates who sit Standard Seven (class7) examinations proceed to secondary schools yearly.
• Regional and gender disparities in access to primary education, with some regions registering 126 per cent enrollment while others 70 per cent.
• Inadequate teachers for the UPE programme. The national average teacher/pupil ratio ( TPR) is 1:58 although some regions like Kigoma have a ratio of 1:74.
• Poor remuneration and lack of teachers.
• Inadequate coordination within the departments responsible for provision of education
• Poor learning environments
• Shortage of teaching and learning materials.
• Lack of adequate funds to meet the high learning costs across all the levels. 

Education laws and policies in Tanzania

These are some of the educational laws and policies in Tanzania

• The Education act No 25 of 1978:
• Education Sector Development Programme: Primary Education Development Plan (2002-2006)
• The Education and Training Policy;
• The Higher Education Policy
• The Technical Education and Training Policy;
• The National Science and Technology Policy;
• Cultural Policy;
• Tanzania Vision Development 2025; and;
• National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty 

Policies for Education and Training in Tanzania

The broad policy objectives of education and training in Tanzania as spelt out in the various policy documents are as follows:

• Development of integrative personalities
• Promotion of the acquisition and appreciation of national culture and of the constitution;
• Promotion of society-centered learning and the use of acquired skills and knowledge for the improvement of the quality of life;
• Development of self-confidence, inquiring mind, and development oriented mindset;
• Giving adaptive and flexible education that meets the challenges of a changing world;
• Encouraging love and respect for work of whatever type and improved productivity;
• Inculcating in learners ethical behavior, tenets of national unity, international co-operation, peace and justice and
• Fostering a rational management and use of the environment.

To realize these objectives, the government developed the Education and Training Sector Development Programme, which provides the framework for implementation of education and training goals. Specifically, the programme seeks to:

• Enhance partnership in the provision of education and training, through the deliberate effort of encouraging private agencies to participate in the provision of education, to establish and manage schools and other educational institutions at all levels.
• Broaden the financial base and cost-effectiveness of education and training through more effective control of government spending, cost-sharing and liberalization strategies
• Streamline and management structure of education by placing more authority and responsibility on schools, colleges universities, local communities, districts and regions.
• Provide quality education through curriculum review, improved teacher management and introduction and use of appropriate performance and assessment strategies.
• Strengthen the integration of formal and non-formal education relationship, by instituting knowledge comparability and inter-mobility within the two sub-sectors of education
• Increase access to education by focusing on equity issue with respect to women, groups and regions needs.
• Promote live-log education and training for job -creation and self-employment through increased quality and availability of opportunities for vocational education and training.
• Promote quality non-formal education and training through the improvement of folk development centers in terms of physical infrastructure, tutors education and improved tutor management. 

Education in Tanzania

Background information

The United Republic of Tanzania comprises Tanganyika, Zanzibar and Pemba. Tanganyika got independence in 1961 and in 1964 united with Zanzibar and Pemba to form the United Republic of Tanzania. For many years after independence, Tanzania pursued a socialist political and economic policy that encouraged state ownership of public resources. The citizens were made to live in communities where they worked and collectively produced goods for common use in what was called the Ujamaa system.

But the socialist policy was later abandoned in the 1980s as it failed to transform the country's socio economic systems. However, one of the lasting legacies of the system was that it promoted mass literacy and entrenched the use of Kiswahili as a national language. Adult literacy rate is 77 per cent with 85.2 per cent for men and 69.2 per cent for women.

According to the economic Survey 2006, Tanzania had a population of 37,267,530 in 2005. Out of this, 19,009,051were females, equivalent to 51 per cent which 18,258,479 were males, or 49 per cent. The bulk of population, more than 35 million people, lives on the Tanzania Mainland. Further, the statistics show that majority of the people- 77 per cent live in rural areas and only 23 per cent live urban areas of the Tanzania Mainland.

The country's economic mainstay is agriculture. Tourism, trade and manufacturing also play a significant role in the economy. In 2005, the country recorded a GDP growth of 6.8 per cent compared to 6.7 per cent in 2004. The improved economic growth rate was mainly attributed to good performance in agriculture, trade, tourism, and transport and communication.
Tanzania, which is the biggest country in East Africa, has 25 administrative regions, namely, Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi,Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar Urban/West

The country has a spectacular landscape of mainly three physiographic regions namely the Islands and the coastal plains to the east; the inland saucer-shaped plateau; and the highlands, The Great Rift Valley that runs from north east of Africa through central Tanzania is another landmark that adds to the country's scenic beauty.

Education in Tanzania

The vision of Tanzania's Ministry of Education is to provide high level of education at all levels and create a nation with people sufficiently equipped with the requisite knowledge to solve the society's problems, meet the challenges of development and attain competitiveness at regional and global levels.

The mission is to realize UPE, eradication of illiteracy and attainment of a level of tertiary education and training commensurate with a critical high quality human resources required to effectively respond to the country's development challenges.