Morogoro – Today, representatives from the United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the government of Tanzania celebrated their continued partnership to advance quality education in Tanzania through the launch of the new Jifunze Uelewe (“Learn and Understand”) activity. The four and a half year, $38.5 million activity aims to sustainably improve the literacy and numeracy for all pre-primary and primary education learners in Morogoro, Iringa, Mtwara, Ruvuma, and Zanzibar.
Despite the rapid growth of access to education in Tanzania, the quality of education and learning outcomes remains lower than in peer countries. With the introduction of fee-free basic education, the number of teachers does not match the increased student demand, particularly from children with disabilities. This negatively impacts education quality, evidenced by early-grade reading scores dropping from 12 percent of second graders reading at grade level in 2013 to only 5.4 percent reading at grade level in 2017.
When children are educated, and supported by their caregivers and communities, then they are more likely to have the necessary foundational skills to become productive young adults, well-positioned to pursue and achieve their aspirations. USAID addresses quality of education challenges through education programming focused on improving students’ reading, writing, arithmetic, and social-emotional learning. Enhancing teacher training, classroom instruction, and parental involvement is also of paramount importance.
Jifunze Uelewe builds on the success of two previous USAID activities, Tusome Pamoja (“Let’s Read Together”) and Hesabu na Elimu Jumuishi (“Arithmetic and Inclusive Education”), by working to ensure children have access to learning resources in print and digital formats. The activity will reinforce school curriculums in the school but also at home and provide opportunities for independent practice. Jifunze Uelewe will also provide access to learning resources for vision-impaired children through electronic Braille readers, e-books and sign-language overlays.
Speaking at today’s launch, USAID Mission Director V. Kate Somvongsiri remarked, “I am encouraged by the significant progress Tanzania has made in recent years to ensure that every child has access to a fee-free education. However, in order to increase the number of children that receive a better education, it is important that our partnerships empower communities. That way, they can sustainably replicate our work and multiply our programmatic reach.”
For more information about this press release, please contact the U.S. Embassy Tanzania Press Office at DPO@state.gov.
