Tanzania outlines plan to overhaul education

Dar es Salaam. The government yesterday disclosed areas that need to be looked at in the planned reforms to improve education sector in the country.

There have been concerns that the local graduates lack necessary skills for creating their own jobs through entrepreneurship while the private sector complains of mismatch between the school knowledge and job market demands.

The government is now collecting views from different stakeholders as it seeks to overhaul the education sector to produce competent graduates.

The minister for Education, Science and Technology Prof Adolf Mkenda told the Parliament yesterday that stakeholders should continue airing their views around policy review, legal framework, change in the curricula, demand and quality of teachers, trainers and lecturers, demand of infrastructure as well as that of working tools.

“These areas need to be considered to ensure that we meet our demand,” said Prof Mkenda as he presented the ministry’s budget for 2022/23.

“The planned reforms are biggest ever,” he added.

In the policy review, Prof Mkenda cited an example of the policy demand of 10 years of compulsory education while Tanzania provides it for only seven years.

He said the ongoing analysis and consultations will help to reach a common decision.

Prof Mkenda tabled the new budget estimated at Sh1.5 trillion, with Sh959.5 billion for development projects.

Together with the reforms in the education sector, Prof Mkenda said the government will also focus on promoting science by sponsoring the best performers in the Advanced Level of Secondary Education exams to join universities.

He said the government will sponsor the best science performers in foreign universities to encourage science learning and award up to Sh50 million for researchers and lecturers who will manage to publish their scientific research findings in respected global journals.

Prof Mkenda also revealed that the government managed to enrol 3,333 girls who dropped out of schools for different reasons, including pregnancy, into alternative education system.