Schools reopen as govt confirms adequate infrastructure, textbooks

DAR ES SALAAM: AS schools reopen countrywide today, the government has assured the public that it is fully prepared to accommodate both new and continuing students, while ensuring that all government schools have received sufficient textbooks.

Preparations include construction of 277 new schools, 2,429 primary school classrooms, 64 classrooms for special needs education, 930 pre-primary classrooms and more than 9,388 pit latrines.

These projects were implemented using over 196.7bn/- allocated during the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years as part of efforts to improve education infrastructure nationwide.

The government has also printed textbooks for all classes implementing the improved curriculum, supplementary books for classes that began the curriculum in 2023, as well as books for classes completing the old curriculum.

Speaking over the weekend, Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) Director General Dr Aneth Komba said a total of 18.6 million copies covering pre-primary education, Standard Five to Seven, Form One to Form Four, and Form Five to Six have been printed and distributed.

According to Dr Komba, the books are being distributed at a ratio of one book per student or one book for every three students, depending on the subject.

She thanked the government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan for providing adequate funding to enable TIE to print and distribute textbooks across all councils in the country.

Dr Komba also called on teachers to take care of the books and use them properly to ensure they contribute effectively to the development of education in Tanzania.

According to a statement from the Head of the Government Communication Unit at the Prime Minister’s Office–Regional Administration and Local Government (PMORALG), Ms Roida Andusamile, last Friday more than 14.1bn/- in capitation grants was disbursed in December 2025 to support teaching and learning activities.

The statement urged Regional Commissioners, District Commissioners, council leaders and education stakeholders to ensure that all students, including those with special needs, report to school without obstacles.

“With regard to Standard One enrolment, data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that in 2026, a total of 1,950,783 children are of schoolentry age, including 984,502 boys and 966,281 girls,” said Ms Andusamile.

She noted that this aligns with the 2014 Education and Training Policy (2023 Edition), which stipulates that children aged six should be enrolled in Standard One.

On secondary education, she said a total of 937,581 students, comprising 508,477 girls and 429,104 boys, including 3,228 students with special needs, have been selected and assigned to 5,230 government secondary schools, including ward-level and boarding schools, to begin Form One studies in 2026.

ALSO READ: Schools reopen profit should not lead

Ms Andusamile added that in December last year, the government released 28.4bn/- for school operational funds, which have been used to improve education infrastructure through the construction of 234 wardlevel secondary schools, 74 ward-level vocational schools, and 29 regional vocational schools.

Other developments include the construction of 596 classrooms, 3,186 toilet facilities, seven zonal boys’ secondary schools, completion of 123 laboratory buildings and the procurement of ICT and laboratory equipment at a cost of 283bn/-.

In Dodoma Region, Regional Commissioner Ms Rosemary Senyamule urged Council Secretariats, Ward and Village Executive Officers and Ward Education Officers to intensify efforts to curb school absenteeism.

Speaking during a working visit to Bahi District, Ms Senyamule emphasised the responsibility of parents and guardians to ensure children report to school on time, especially at the beginning of the academic term.

She directed the revival of an anti-absenteeism campaign launched two years ago, which requires school heads to submit weekly attendance reports every Friday to ward and village leaders to track pupils who miss classes.

In Dar es Salaam, parents have continued purchasing school supplies, with traders at Kariakoo Market reporting good business ahead of the new term.

The most purchased items include exercise books, school bags, shoes, calculators and examination papers, driven by the reopening of primary and secondary schools for Standard One, Form One and continuing students.

Speaking about the business situation, Deputy Chairperson of the Kariakoo Traders Association, Mr Mfaume Mfaume, said business is good, although sales are not as strong as last year due to the financial burden on parents, including house rent, business taxes and school fees.

“Business is going on well, although not as strong as last year when the circulation of money was higher. Parents are now spending more cautiously,” he said, adding that most school items remain affordable, with traders offering competitive prices due to stiff competition.

However, some parents noted price increases in school bags and shoes due to high demand at the start of the term.

“Prices of school bags and shoes at Kariakoo are very high right now because children need new ones when schools reopen. You have no option but to buy,” said Ms Zuhura Alex.