Tanzania rolls out major education reforms in four years

DODOMA: TANZANIA has undergone significant reforms in the education sector over the past four years under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan marked by key policy decisions.

These transformative changes have strengthened the national education system and enhanced the overall wellbeing of citizens.

Addressing journalists in Dodoma on Tuesday, Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, outlined a series of reforms driven by the revised 2014 Education and Training Policy, which was updated in 2023.

A major milestone is the extension of compulsory education to 10 years under the new 1+6+4+2/3+3+ structure. This policy shift is designed to equip students with practical skills by integrating a vocational education stream beginning at the secondary school level.

He explained that the curriculum for pre-primary, primary and secondary education has been restructured to feature two streams, a general stream and a vocational stream.

Students enrolled in the vocational stream will graduate Form Four with two certificates: The Ordinary Level Certificate and a Skills Certificate issued by the National Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NACTVET).

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Prof Mkenda explained that in line with the revised Education and Training Policy, significant curriculum reforms have been implemented across pre-primary, primary, and secondary education levels.

Among the key changes is the introduction of dual streams at the secondary level, a general education stream and a vocational stream within a more flexible education system.

Upon completing Form Four, students in the vocational stream will receive both the Form Four certificate and the NACTVET-issued skills certificate. Those who choose to continue into technical education will progress into a three-year high school programme focused on practical training, effectively reviving the former polytechnic model.

“We are reintroducing polytechnic schools and have already established them in Mwanza, Kigoma, Mtwara, Morogoro and Zanzibar,” said Prof Mkenda. “A state-of-the-art technical college has also been completed in Dodoma and integrated with the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology.”

He added that Business Education will now be a compulsory subject from Form One to Form Four, aimed at equipping students with essential entrepreneurial skills.

In a bid to prepare learners for a digital future, computer programming embedded coding will be introduced at the primary school level. “Technology is evolving rapidly and we must catch up. Computer language is now mandatory,” he emphasised.

Regarding language instruction, Prof Mkenda announced that English will be formally introduced in Standard Seven using a new approach that priorities communication skills before grammar.

“If a student studies English from Standard Four to Seven and still cannot speak it, that reflects poorly not just on language education but on the entire education system,” he said.

To further enhance language proficiency, Arabic, French and Chinese will be offered as optional subjects in primary schools, depending on teacher availability and student interest.

He added that the government has designated Marangu College as a specialised language institution to train language experts and interpreters.

Prof Mkenda said that the Ministry has developed the Education Sector Management Information System (ESMIS) to consolidate data across government systems, including NIDA, RITA, Immigration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Administration and Local Government.

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In higher education, he said the government has constructed classrooms, laboratories and dormitories in 16 new university campuses in regions that previously lacked institutions of higher learning.

The works are part of the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) Project valued at 972bn/-.

“These new facilities will enable universities to admit more students. We are also training lecturers to reduce the shortage by 20 per cent,” Prof Mkenda stated.

In the four-year performance of the sixth phase government, Prof Mkenda said student loan allocations have significantly increased from 464bn/- in 2021/22 to 787bn/- in 2024/25.

Beneficiaries have grown from 177,925 in 2021/22 to 248,331 in 2024/25, marking a 39.6 per cent increase.

He said through the Samia Scholarship, the government has awarded scholarships worth 18.7bn/- to 1,343 high-achieving students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).