President Samia’s legacy in education

By Charles Msuya

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has shown she is a woman of power with no fear to make tough decisions with great outcomes far into the future especially when it comes to education

Before Tanzanians could forget that amid a judgment-driven community, President Samia took a bold decision of allowing student mothers to continue with their secondary education, she has also decided to eliminate all financial hindrances so that everyone can have access to education for free.

The free education policy which started in 2015 only covered primary school and O-level studies, however, in the fight against ignorance, one of the three enemies of Tanzania alongside poverty and diseases, now the education is going to be free from primary schools to A-Level (Form V and VI).

Recently there was a chilling story of a certain rural teenager who passed Form IV exams with flying colours but ended up working as a house help in Dar es Salaam.

 This was mainly because her family could not afford to pay for her A-Level school fees. President Samia’s leadership wants to ensure that soon such stories become only a history of the past.

Education will eliminate ignorance and help spread enough knowledge on how to fight against poverty and diseases.

In doing so, President Samia is pushing Tanzania closer to African Union  ‘Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want’ aiming to make Africa the future’s global powerhouse which needs knowledgeable and smart youth to take up space in making decisions and innovations that will reintroduce Africa to the World.

Since the start of free education for primary schools up to Form IV, the number of registered students has increased from about 700,000 to 900,000.

In every action there is a reaction, some decisions seem hard, but sometimes are necessary. Even if their results will not be seen immediately, they are surely investments for the future.