Dar es Salaam — WE must reach a point, where we all know that education is not a favour; it is a right, and today that right is being placed squarely within reach of every family.
With government-funded, free basic education till one reaches Advanced-level now available, parents and guardians hold the decisive key: Ensuring that every child of school-going age is enrolled, attends regularly and stays in school.
This call is not abstract. It is practical, urgent and rooted in the future we want for our communities. The government is strategised to make sure that no child will be turned away. Physical disability is not a barrier. Poverty is not a sentence.
Gender, ethnicity, religion, or family background will not determine who belongs in the classroom. The policy is clear and the promise is firm: All children will be treated equally, taught with dignity, and supported to learn.
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Schools are now opening their doors and they are waiting for parents to walk their children through those doors.
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Free education removes the heaviest burden and that is tuition and school fees, but it does not remove parental responsibility. Learning cannot thrive on an empty stomach. While the state shoulders tuition, families must do their part to provide what keeps children present, healthy and attentive.
Simple meals, basic care and encouragement at home are not optional extras; they are the fuel of concentration and the foundation of success. Too many children miss school not because classrooms are closed, but because adults look away.
Street hawking, farm labour, early marriages, and domestic chores still pull young minds from desks to drudgery. This must stop. Every day a child is absent is a lesson lost, a confidence eroded, and a future narrowed. Education delayed is opportunity denied. Parents and guardians are partners in this national effort.
Ask questions. Visit schools. Monitor attendance. Speak to teachers. Educated children grow into skilled workers, responsible citizens and informed voters. Communities with strong schools enjoy better health, safer streets and stronger economies. When we keep children learning, we reduce inequality and expand hope.
This is a moment to act, not to hesitate. Enrol every child. Keep them fed. Keep them focused. Keep them learning. Government has done its part by opening the gate. It is now the duty of parents and guardians to lead children through it, every morning, without excuse.
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The future is calling. Answer it with attendance, commitment, and care. Let us remember that education shapes character, builds resilience, and equips young people to question, create and lead. A nation that invests in classrooms invests in peace, productivity and shared prosperity.
Consistency matters: Punctuality, homework, rest and routine turn access into achievement. Guardians should protect study time, celebrate progress and model the discipline they expect. Schools cannot replace families, but families can empower schools to succeed.
When children are present, prepared and nourished, teachers can teach, learners can learn and futures can flourish. Do not wait for tomorrow; the bell is already ringing. Show up, provide, encourage and persist. Education works when adults do. Make attendance a habit, learning a priority, and childhood a promise kept together by all.
