His Excellency President of Zanzibar Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein, U.S. Ambassador Alfonso E. Lenhardt and Deputy Minister of the Education and Vocational Training in Zanzibar Zahara Ali Hamad watch as school children use laptops. (Photo: U.S. Embassy, Dsm)
On February 28, the five-year Tanzania 21st Century Basic Education Program (TZ21) was launched by His Excellency President of Zanzibar Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein and U.S. Ambassador Alfonso E. Lenhardt at the Mwanakwerekwe C Primary School in Zanzibar. TZ21 is sponsored by the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Zanzibar’s Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, and private sector partners Cisco, Intel Corporation, Microsoft East and Southern Africa, UhuruOne and Zanzibar Telecommunications (Zantel). The program will also be launched in Mtwara next month.
His Excellency President of Zanzibar Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein and U.S. Ambassador Alfonso E. Lenhardt cut ribbon at the launching ceremony of the Tanzania 21st Century Basic Education Program (TZ21) in Zanzibar. (Photo: U.S. Embassy, Dar es Salaam)
The event was also attended by Deputy Minister of Education and Vocational Training Zahara Ali Hamad, Urban West Regional Commissioner Abdala Mwinyi Khamis, Ministry of Education and Vocational Training Principal Secretary Mwanaidi Saleh Abdallah, and Ministry of Education and Vocational Training Deputy Principal Secretary Abdula Mzee Abdula. Following TZ21’s inauguration, guests were offered a demonstration of the pilot-tested computer equipment that will be used for implementation in all primary schools and Teacher Resource Centers in Zanzibar.
The goal of TZ21 is to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into primary level education to improve the quality of primary school education in Zanzibar and the Mainland. The new technologies will be integrated into teaching and learning to increase students’ achievements in reading, mathematics and science. The program will also strengthen professional development at teacher training colleges and centers in Zanzibar, and build decision making capacity at the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training headquarters and district levels.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony, President Shein thanked the American people for promoting education in Zanzibar through TZ21 and noted: “We greatly appreciate your support to all of our development projects, including those in the areas of education, health, roads, and electricity.” In his remarks, Ambassador Lenhardt said: “Public-private partnerships such as this are the key to the current wave of sustainable development in Africa, and an essential element in ensuring that Africa’s youth have the intellectual and technical skills they need to get ahead in a global economy. I am anxious to witness the fruits these types of arrangements will yield for Tanzanian children in the next five to ten years!”
Collaboration among public and private sector organizations, and effective integration of new technologies in teaching and learning, hold the promise of significantly enhancing the quality of education for primary school students. By taking a holistic approach to primary education, TZ21 will create a sustainable model that equips primary school teachers, administrators and students with the skills they need to be successful in the 21st century.