Samia stresses education’s role in driving investment growth

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has reaffirmed her government’s commitment to improving the education sector to prepare Tanzanian youth with skills needed for the country’s growing investment projects that heavily rely on modern technologies.

Speaking on January 8, 2025, during the inauguration of the newly built Bumbwini Secondary School in North Unguja, Zanzibar, President Hassan emphasised the need for a skilled workforce to match the increasing investments in Tanzania.

“Our goal with these investments, which come with modernity, is to have young people who are employable in various professions within the projects being established in our country,” said President Hassan.

The inauguration of the school coincided with Zanzibar’s Revolution Day celebrations, which will peak on January 13, 2025. The President noted that the government has embarked on a digital economy strategy to ensure that Tanzanians benefit from modern technological investments.

“We have decided to move in that direction by equipping schools with computers to prepare our youth for employability. Let us implement this strategy while ensuring that our students are ready to put it into practice,” she added.

The newly launched Bumbwini Secondary School has been named ‘Balozi Seif’ in honour of former Zanzibar Second Vice President Seif Ali Iddi. President Hassan highlighted the gradual improvement of the education sector, which has significantly transformed over the years.

“I visited the classrooms in this school and saw how students are connected to Kibaha Education Centre on the mainland through online learning. The students follow the lessons from here using their computers,” said President Hassan.

She stressed that Zanzibar’s educational revolution aims for continuous development, moving beyond the initial goal of attaining freedom and now focusing on sustainable progress and safeguarding independence.

“Our revolution is about development, step by step. We completed the struggle for independence, and now we are working on progress to maintain our freedom,” she stated.

President Hassan reflected on Zanzibar’s past poor performance in national examinations, often ranking at the bottom due to a lack of practical learning facilities like laboratories.

“We have built modern laboratories. I have spoken to teachers and told them we don’t want to hear about grade zero or grade four results anymore. With these laboratories and the computers provided, both students and teachers should enhance their skills,” she said.

She highlighted the progress made since Zanzibar’s revolution in 1964. Back then, the region had only 62 schools, including just five secondary schools and one nursery school. At that time, the total number of students was 25,432.

“By 2024, Zanzibar had 1,308 schools, including primary, secondary, and special schools, with an enrolment of 620,633 students,” said President Hassan.

She also pointed out that higher education institutions were non-existent in Zanzibar for a long time, with universities only emerging in the early 2000s.

“Today, Zanzibar has universities and specialised schools, such as this one we are inaugurating. These institutions are part of the vision of the Zanzibar revolution,” she added.

The President also addressed the critical role of parents in ensuring their children take advantage of the improved learning environment.

“We are working hard to secure funds and implement projects so that our children can benefit. I urge my fellow parents to utilise these opportunities and give their children time to study and attend school as expected,” she urged.

The construction of the Bumbwini Secondary School is part of ongoing efforts by both the mainland and Zanzibar governments to reduce classroom congestion and improve education quality.

The three-story school was built between September 2023 and December 2024 for Sh6.1 billion. It features 40 classrooms, 29 toilets, an office for the head teacher, offices for teachers, two modern laboratories, a computer room, a counselling room, and a library.

The school can accommodate 1,800 students, with an average of 45 students per classroom.

Zanzibar’s minister for Education and Vocational Training, Ms Lela Mohamed Mussa, said the government’s focus is to ensure that every district has specialised schools to cater to the educational needs of all students in Zanzibar.

“We have continued to build school infrastructure and add buildings in various schools to ensure that all students start their studies simultaneously. We are moving away from the double-shift system, and by 2025, the entire Zanzibar will operate on a single-shift basis,” she explained.