Tanzania Mainland
Tanzania has made significant progress in achieving basic education for all, especially with respect to increasing enrollment over the past 10 years. However, the introduction of free basic education in 2016 led to an influx of students into the system, and learning is lagging due to large class sizes.
The government and partners are addressing persistent challenges, including poor school conditions, teacher shortages and teacher effectiveness.
Based on the country's priority reform area – teacher workforce planning and management – GPE is supporting Tanzania to improve teaching and learning, starting with getting the right number of trained teachers deployed to the places where they are needed, namely disadvantaged areas.
A focus on gender equality and inclusion aims to hire more female teachers, improve female participation in education, and support students and teachers with special needs. A focus on the learning environment aims to ensure equitable allocation of teaching and learning materials.
Zanzibar
In 2019, Zanzibar conducted a curriculum needs assessment and found that content required updating to prepare children for life in the 21st century. The government developed a competence-based curriculum (CBC) framework, defining learning outcomes and minimum standards for each level of education.
Zanzibar is also strengthening formative learning assessments to better understand students’ learning needs. GPE is supporting Zanzibar to accelerate reform efforts and achieve results at scale. The government and partners have endorsed improved foundational skills at the basic education level as their priority reform, focusing on reading, writing, arithmetic and creativity.
Aligned and harmonized resources support interventions, including implementing CBC at the pre-primary and primary education levels, institutionalizing teachers’ continuous professional development, and mainstreaming gender equality in education policy planning and implementation.