In 2015, a new curriculum for Primary education which is competency based and includes rubrics for student performance, was rolled out by Tanzania’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology with support from GPE.

Implementing the new curriculum was a great achievement as it entailed a transformative shift in the teaching process from the content-based to competency-based approach. However, the new curriculum also presented a serious challenge for most in-service teachers, as they had not learned the use of competencies in their training and found themselves struggling.

When Tanzania accessed the second literacy and numeracy education support grant (GPE-LANES II) of US$112.5 million for 2019-2023, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology included continuous professional development for teachers as a key component.

The goal was to set the foundation for sustainable and continuous professional development for in-service teachers to keep them abreast of new developments in teaching approaches.

In Tanzania, teachers had limited opportunities for their continuous professional development after they had graduated. When teachers can regularly improve their skills, they’re better equipped to boost students’ learning.

Strengthening teacher resource centers

The GPE-funded program focuses on strengthening the role of teacher resource centers, which serve a cluster of schools. The centers are considered an effective modality for implementing continuous professional development and ultimately changing teaching practices.

A first step was to ensure the centers were properly equipped. As of June 2023, the program has provided 272 centers with 1,173 desktop computers, 300 projectors, 300 photocopy machines and 300 printers. These resources allow teachers to easily access and print additional materials, modules and professional resources.

A total of 2,722 coordinators were trained on their roles in managing the centers and conducting continuous professional development with teachers in their respective areas.

The improved centers allow teachers to be active participants in their professional development and to join communities of learning to share teaching and assessment strategies with their peers.

Strengthening the centers also enables synergy with other reforms in the sector, including the new competency-based curriculum developed under the GPE-LANES I program.

In addition to improving teacher resource centers, GPE funding has supported the distribution of 599,970 teacher guides and has built 64 teachers’ houses to accommodate teachers working in hard-to-reach areas as well as 2,980 new classrooms.

With support from GPE, the government of Tanzania is equipping teachers with the skills they need to improve children’s learning.