Tanzania Reaffirms Commitment To Skills-Oriented Education

The government of Tanzania has pledged to continue improving primary and secondary education curriculum to impart students with entrepreneurship, finance management and life skills to make graduates able to create own employments.

The improvements will enable Tanzanian students to cope with the current technological changes and adopt the ongoing political, economic and social changes.

Deputy Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Omari Kipanga gave the assurance during an interactive session in Parliament.

Special Seats legislator, Ngwasi Kamani (CCM) during questioning, highlighted the need for the government to introduce entrepreneurship studies, finance management and life skills as an alternative way of solving unemployment challenge.

She added that the subjects should compulsory for all the students.

Deputy Minister Kipanga however clarified that currently, students are taught entrepreneurship through other various subjects.

He said primary school pupils get the knowledge through different topics in the subjects of Mathematics, Social Studies and Vocational Studies while secondary school students are imparted with such skills through Civics and General Studies.

He said there are also some elements of entrepreneurship contained in secondary school students through various subjects, such as Book-Keeping, Commerce, Economics, Accountancy, Home Economics, Mathematics and Agriculture, adding that emphasis was put on life skills and vocational trainings.

He said students are also capacitated on the Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

According to Kipanga, the government has been organizing different forums to discuss a number of issues related to improvement of the curriculums.

He said such forums had already been conducted in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma regions, saying that the curriculum review process is expected to be completed this financial year.

Meanwhile, Education, Science and Technology Minister, Prof Joyce Ndalichako said plans were underway to ensure all schools provide life skills training, such as needlework and cookery, adding that the two subjects are now taught in a few secondary schools.