Dodoma — DODOMA: PRIME Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, has stated that the new education policy and curriculum have gained the trust of the public, it will effectively address competence, vocational skills, and unemployment issues.
Mr Majaliwa made these remarks yesterday in the National Assembly while presenting the Education and Training Policy and Curriculum 2023 implementation report.
The Prime Minister explained that the curriculum and policy, whose implementation began in January 2024, will put an end to the perception that the government is the sole employer, since it will increase the number of skilled and competent graduates in various fields to meet national and global market demands.
The Premier said according to a public opinion evaluation, the policy and curriculum are vibrant, diverse, and results-oriented and they will enhance competence and vocational skills.
The implementation of the new curriculum started in January 2024 and covers pre-primary, standard one, and three. At the secondary education level, the new curriculum, which focuses on technical education, is currently being taught to Form I students in 96 public and private schools.
The Prime Minister informed Members of Parliament that teacher training is being conducted at all levels across the country. So far, 78 district education officers out of the targeted 184 have received training.
The total number of pre-primary students under the new curriculum is 1,268,917, with 642,979 being boys. Among these students, 2,366 fall into the special needs group, with 1,244 being boys. In addition, there are 1,549,743 Standard One students enrolled in the current academic year, with 772,019 being boys. Among these students, 3,311 are in the special needs group.
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Regarding Form One students, the enrollment for this year stands at 1,092,984, with 507,933 being boys. The Prime Minister emphasised that enrollment is still ongoing.
The implementation of the new policy also includes the training of qualified teachers to align with the reforms.
The government has completed the preparations for the National Qualification Framework, which aims to monitor and regulate the quality of teachers and teacher training colleges.
Prime Minister Majaliwa stated, "An evaluation shows that parents and stakeholders in the education sector are satisfied with the new reforms, especially regarding technical and vocational training. These reforms aim to provide learners with skills and knowledge for self-employment."
The process to establish a new policy and curriculum began in April 2021 following President Samia Suluhu Hassan's instructions to reshape the education sector.
