Education future begins with children who can read, write and calculate

SHINYANGA: READING, writing and basic numeracy are among the most important skills children need in their early years of education, providing the foundation for understanding other subjects, building confidence and progressing successfully through the education system.

The importance of these basic competencies is now receiving renewed attention as Tanzania seeks to strengthen the quality of education and build the human capital needed to achieve the ambitions of Tanzania Development Vision 2050.

At Mseki Primary School in Ushetu District, Shinyanga Region, the introduction of the KiuFunza programme has transformed the way teaching and learning are conducted, with teachers adopting approaches that respond to pupils’ different learning abilities and needs.

KiuFunza, meaning “Thirst for Learning,” is a programme that is implemented by Learn Impact in collaboration with Twaweza, the government, Hempel Foundation and Vodacom Foundation that provides small cash incentives to public school teachers in Tanzania based on students’ learning outcomes.

The programme aims to improve foundational reading and numeracy skills among pupils in Grades One, Two and Three by motivating teachers and sharpening their focus on learning outcomes.

At Mseki, the approach has translated into more targeted support for pupils who previously struggled with basic reading, writing and arithmetic.

As teachers have become more focused on identifying and addressing individual learning gaps, pupils have gained foundational skills and greater confidence in the classroom.

Rather than teaching all pupils at the same pace, teachers now group learners according to their ability levels and tailor instruction to meet their specific needs.

This has enabled pupils who were previously falling behind to receive additional attention and gradually catch up with their classmates.

The results are increasingly visible across the school, with nearly all pupils in lower primary now able to read, write and perform basic arithmetic.

Overall academic performance has also improved, with pass rates rising to nearly 100 per cent, while all Standard Four pupils who sat for the national examination successfully passed.

Head Teacher of Mseki Primary School, Mr Bakari Fuppe, said the transformation followed the introduction of KiuFunza, which has significantly improved literacy, numeracy and overall academic performance at the school.

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“Before KiuFunza, many of our students could not read or write. Even in upper classes, some pupils still lacked basic skills,” he said.

According to Mr Fuppe, the biggest change has been moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching to a system where instruction is adjusted according to each learner’s level.

“Now we track each learner more closely and adjust how we teach. This ensures that no child is left behind,” he said.

Teachers have also taken greater ownership of the learning process, regularly reviewing pupils’ progress, planning together and following up on learners requiring additional support.

This has created a more accountable and focused teaching environment, enabling teachers to identify learning gaps early and provide additional support before pupils fall further behind.

The experience at Mseki comes as the Government strengthens national efforts to ensure that children acquire foundational learning skills at an early age.

Early this year, President Samia Suluhu Hassan launched the Scientific Strategic Plan for Building Competence in Reading, Writing and Numeracy, commonly known as KKK, targeting children in pre-primary education and pupils in Standards One and Two.

The strategy seeks to ensure that children master basic reading, writing and numeracy skills early, preferably before reaching Standard Three, so they can learn more effectively as they progress through the education system.

Speaking during the launch in Dar es Salaam, President Samia described KKK as the foundation of all learning, warning that children who fail to acquire these basic competencies risk falling behind academically and experiencing difficulties with higher-level subjects.

The government’s emphasis on foundational learning mirrors what is happening at Mseki, where teachers have shifted from treating pupils as though they learn at the same pace to identifying individual learning gaps and providing support according to ability.

The KKK strategy also emphasises the use of participatory learning methods and innovative locally available teaching and learning materials.

The approach is also supported by findings from the 2025 KiuFunza assessments, which showed that learners in participating schools recorded 21 per cent higher performance in reading and 18 per cent higher performance in mathematics compared with learners in control schools.

The assessment covered 265 schools and more than 79,000 learners, pointing to the potential of adapting teaching to learners’ actual levels to improve foundational literacy and numeracy.

For Tanzania, such improvements are significant as the country works towards the education aspirations outlined in Vision 2050.

The Vision places human capital development at the centre of Tanzania’s transformation and identifies quality education, skills development and lifelong learning as essential to creating a productive, innovative and competitive population.

It envisages a highly skilled, technologically capable and adaptable workforce able to drive innovation and competitiveness in local, regional and global markets.

The Vision also recognises that Tanzania’s future workforce will need technical expertise, cognitive agility, data competence, resilience, entrepreneurial thinking and the ability to adapt to emerging technologies.

These ambitions, however, begin with the basics. A child who cannot read instructions, write effectively or perform basic calculations is likely to struggle to understand more advanced subjects and acquire the higherlevel competencies required later in education and employment.

The long-term perspective plan for implementing Vision 2050 similarly identifies education and skills development as critical to Tanzania’s transformation, with priorities including education reforms, teacher capacity building, improved incentive structures and greater use of digital education to improve quality and access.

This places classroom-level interventions such as KiuFunza within a much broader national development agenda.

At Mseki, teachers are already demonstrating how identifying learning gaps, monitoring progress and adjusting instruction can translate national education priorities into measurable changes in pupils’ abilities.

The school has also benefited from the KiuFunza Performance Incentive System

After becoming the top-performing school in its zone, Mseki received a performance bonus of 5m/- which was reinvested in improving the school environment.

“We were proud to be the top school in our zone. We invested in improving the school environment. It has motivated both teachers and students to continue performing well,” said Mr Fuppe.

The investment has helped create a more supportive environment for teaching and learning, while the improved academic performance has encouraged teachers and pupils to maintain their efforts.

Looking ahead, the school leadership believes the approach can be replicated in other schools to improve learning outcomes at scale.

The experience at Mseki shows that education transformation is not only about building classrooms or increasing enrolment.

It also requires understanding learners, supporting teachers, monitoring progress and ensuring that every child acquires the competencies needed to move to the next level.

As Tanzania begins implementing the long-term ambitions of Vision 2050, the connection between KiuFunza, the government’s KKK strategy and classroom realities becomes increasingly important.