Barriers to the Top: Women and leadership in Tanzanian schools

A discussion held as part of International Women’s Day celebrations on March 17, 2025 brought together education stakeholders from the Agency for the Development of Education Management (ADEM), Shule Bora, and government human resource officers in Dar es Salaam to examine gender disparities in school leadership.

According to the director of Employment, Ethics and Teacher Development at the Teachers' Service Commission (TSC), Ms Fatuma Muya, statistics from 139 districts under TSC oversight reveal a significant gender gap in school leadership.

“In Tanzania’s 157 local government authorities, which oversee 15,637 primary schools, only 3,751 head teachers are women (23 percent), while 11,886 are men (77 percent),” she said.

“The gap is similar in secondary schools. Out of 4,556 secondary schools, only 1,154 have female heads (25 percent), compared to 3,402 male headteachers (75 percent),” she revealed citing TSC’s recent survey.

Technical Lead for Teaching and Learning at Shule Bora, Mr Vincent Katabalo, noted that women continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles within the education sector.

“This discussion aimed to explore the challenges preventing women from accessing leadership positions, especially headteacher and ward education officer roles. We brought in female leaders to serve as role models and encourage more women to step up,” he said.

Mr Katabalo emphasised that many women qualify for leadership roles but face systemic barriers.

Addressing these challenges, he said, is key to achieving gender equality in education leadership.

“Our strategy is to build confidence among female teachers. Many are competent, but lack confidence. We need to create an environment where they feel empowered to take up leadership roles by merit,” he added.

Headteacher of Kaunda Primary School in Rufiji, Ms Indo Palla, welcomed the discussion, stating that women need to break free from outdated beliefs that they are not capable of leadership.

“Opportunities are there, but we must advance our education. Leadership roles require academic qualifications, and we need to work towards that because we have the potential,” she said.

She pointed out that in lower education levels, women still struggle to access leadership positions and called for gender balance in recruitment.

Assistant Director for Social Diversity at the President’s Office, [Public Service Management and Good Governance], Ms Mwanaamani Mtoo, said that the government continues to push for gender equality in public service.

“The Public Service Act No 298 and its 2022 regulations emphasise gender mainstreaming. We have also introduced guidelines for gender inclusivity in public service to ensure leadership roles reflect gender balance,” she explained.

Shule Bora’s team leader, Ms Virginie Briand, presented findings from nine regions where the project operates, showing that only 15.5 percent of school heads are women, compared to 84.5 percent men.

“This shows that while women make up a large portion of primary school teachers, they still face barriers in attaining leadership positions, whether as headteachers, ward education officers, school quality assurance officers, or district education officers,” she said.

She stressed that gender disparity in leadership is not just about equality but also affects education quality.

“Inclusive leadership improves education quality and creates safer learning environments for both boys and girls,” she added.

ADEM’s chief executive officer, Dr Maulid Maulid, highlighted that for over five decades, there has been global concern about women’s low representation in leadership despite their dominance in the teaching profession.

“Women form the majority of teachers worldwide, yet leadership roles are still male-dominated. This has been a longstanding issue,” he said.

Dr Maulid stressed the need to create policies that actively promote female leadership in education, arguing that the future of Tanzania’s education sector depends on balanced and inclusive leadership.