Nearly 90,000 Apply As Government Announces 6,000 Teaching Jobs In Tanzania

Tanzania’s Minister of State President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government’s), Ummy Mwalimu, announced in Parliament on Tuesday that the government received nearly 90,000 applications to fill some 6,000 teaching position in public schools.

The government floated 6,649 teaching positions early this month, which has already received a total of 89,958 just few days before the deadline for applicants. The application includes teachers volunteering in several public schools across the country.

Mwalimu said the government will be fair in the selection process without being bound by either gender, disabilities or academic qualification.

She said the selection priority will be on teachers volunteering but she cautioned that the state has noted with concern applicants with forged letters indicating their volunteering in some public schools.

The Minister’s remarks followed a supplementary question from Longido Constituency MP, Dr. Stephen Kiruswa (CCM). The legislator was concerned that most teaching positions have been limited prompting public schools to rely on volunteers.

He noted with concern that when they are hired, the government relocates the teachers volunteering from their previous schools. He said this while questioning the government on the need to retain the teachers volunteering on the schools.

On her part, the Minister said there has been a crisis in the hiring process, but the ministry was working to resolve the problem. She explained that the government was deliberating on recruiting those whose age is near 45 years and those who had graduated since 2012 but had not been employed.

Deputy Minister in the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Governments David Silinde said the government had received nearly 70,000 applications from teachers claiming to be volunteering.