by Ben Taylor
Rollout continues of new education policy
The government’s reforms in the education sector are increasingly taking shape, as teachers’ colleges are restructured to meet the demands of the new curriculum.
During a visit to Rukwa Region, President Samia Suluhu Hassan inaugurated the Sumbawanga Teachers’ College, reinforcing the government’s dedication to supporting teachers nationwide.
“We have revamped the education system,” she said. “While challenges are inevitable during this transition, rest assured the government stands with you. Study diligently, graduate and teach other teachers and students. Your work is invaluable.”
Minister for Education, Professor Adolf Mkenda, highlighted that under President Samia’s leadership, four new teachers’ colleges have been established, including those in Ngorongoro, Kabanga, Mhonda and Sumbawanga.
“The government now operates 35 teachers’ colleges,” he explained. “These colleges are being specialised; for example, Marangu Teachers’ College now focuses on languages like Arabic, French and Chinese, Butimba College specializes in sports and Kleruu offers technical training,” Prof Mkenda explained.
The new policy has eliminated certificate-level training for teachers, allowing current certificate holders to advance to diploma levels before phasing out certificates entirely.
President Samia also laid the foundation stone for a new Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) college in Kashai Street, Sumbawanga Municipality, urging local youth to take advantage of this new institution.
Prof Mkenda noted that this project would fulfil President Samia’s directive for each region to have a VETA college. Currently, 64 additional VETA colleges are under construction.
VETA Chief Executive Anthony Kasore said that the Sumbawanga VETA college, constructed at a cost of TSh 6.8bn, includes 24 buildings, eight workshops, three staff houses and dormitories for 248 students.
Education budget increased, criticised as insufficient
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is expected to spend TSh 1.96 trillion in 2024/25, just under 200 billion more than its budget for the previous financial year. Part of this increase is intended to fund the implementation of the new education curricula, which began operations in January.
“We intend to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of technical and vocational education and training (TVET), as well as to make more opportunities available and improve the quality of primary, secondary and teacher education,” said the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, in presenting his ministry’s budget to parliament.
Husna Sekiboko, chair of parliament’s education, culture and sports committee, noted that “despite this increase, the education budget is only 14% of the total government budget, thus not reaching the international goal of 20%.” Moreover, the committee was not satisfied with the funds allocated in some areas, including the implementation of the new education policy and curriculum. “This will result in a lack of learning and teaching infrastructure, a shortage of teachers with qualifications matching the new curricula, and may even affect students’ ability to achieve educational success,” Ms Sekiboko said.
The committee also noted that the majority of the ministry’s budget is allocated to the Higher Education Students Loans Board, which accounts for 60% of the development budget.
Prof. Mkenda mentioned that the government plans to increase loan opportunities from 223,201 to about 252,245. “The government aims to provide loans to 84,500 first-year students, including 80,000 for undergraduate programs, 2,000 for postgraduate programs, 500 for foreign students, and 2,000 for Samia Scholarships.”
Beyond parliament, analysts argued that the budget fails to reflect the reality of the educational reforms needed. “The issues of infrastructure are the same every year. We were not shown how the ministry will implement the new policies and curricula as planned because the approved amount cannot effectively achieve this,” Dr Wilberforce Meena, an education expert from HakiElimu.
Mr John Jafari, a retired teacher, echoed this view. He said the budget did not aim to bring about the changes that the government was talking about yet. “Before the arrival of the new curricula, the budget was already small, and now the needs have increased but not to the same extent as the allocated budget.” He added that “the burden rests squarely on the shoulders of the Ministry of Finance.”
Acute teacher shortage continues
Despite government efforts to recruit and train more teachers at primary and secondary levels, statistics reveal a significant need for more teachers, especially competent ones. As of December 2023, Tanzania had 207,323 primary school teachers for 11,425,482 students – a pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) of 1:57 – according to the Basic Education Statistics 2023, published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The statistics also reveal that some schools have one teacher handling up to 600 students in a class, while others have over 1,000 students with only three teachers. The government has promised to hire 12,000 teachers in the 2024/25 fiscal year. However, analysis shows that over 116,885 teachers would be needed to bring the teacher-student ratio down to 1:45 (the government’s own mandated ratio) in early years and primary education alone. A similar number would also be needed for secondary schooling.
Mwanza and Songwe Regions trail, in having an average of 59 students taught by one teacher in 2023, while Kagera Region has an average of 58 students per teacher. Only five regions (Coast, Njombe, Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam) had the recommended average PTR of 1:45. The Deputy Minister of the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities (PO-RALG), Ms Zainabu Katimba, explained that the latest recruitment drive is part of ongoing efforts to reduce the existing shortage of teachers. She pointed out that between the 2020/21 and 2022/23 fiscal years, the government had employed 29,879 new teachers, including 16,598 for primary schools and 13,281 for secondary schools.
Tradition blocks girls’ progress in education in coastal areas
Kisarawe, a coastal district, is grappling with a cultural belief that prioritises marriage over education for girls. This entrenched mindset is reportedly hindering government efforts to reintegrate teenage mothers into the school system.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan had previously issued a directive to allow pregnant students to return to school after giving birth, a reversal of her predecessor’s policy on the issue. However, in some areas, implementation of the new approach has faced significant resistance.
One education officer in Kisarawe, who requested to remain anonymous, told The Citizen that “we face a very tough time encouraging them to return to school while the community is resistant. Some of these girls have already been married off and their education dream is lost.”
According to a report by HakiElimu on reintegrating teenage mothers into formal secondary schooling, parents and community members hold traditional or conservative viewpoints that cast teenage pregnancy in a negative light, treating it as a matter of moral failing or social disgrace.
The prevailing attitude is that education for girls is secondary to their roles as wives and mothers, a belief that is deeply rooted and difficult to change, especially in families with strong beliefs in religious customs.
Education experts argue that more intensive and culturally sensitive awareness campaigns are needed. “Changing deep-seated beliefs requires a multifaceted approach,” says education policy specialist, Ms Amina Mwajuma. “We need to engage community leaders, parents, and the girls themselves in dialogue about the long-term benefits of education.”