THE government and education stakeholders have intensified efforts to strengthen school leadership, with a focus on improving teaching quality, accountability and learning outcomes across Tanzania.
Opening the Tanzania School Leadership Engagement Week in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Carolyne Nombo, said effective leadership was central to achieving the country’s education goals.
The event brought participants from Botswana, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and the host country, Tanzania. She said the government, under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, was implementing education reforms aimed at expanding access, improving quality and ensuring that learning meets national development needs.
Prof. Nombo said evidence from global research shows that strong school leadership plays a major role in improving teacher performance, learner achievement and the overall management of education institutions.
“Achieving quality education is intrinsically linked to effective school leadership. Strong leaders ensure teachers receive the necessary support, learners perform better, innovation is encouraged and resources are properly managed,” she said.
She said the government was committed to developing competent education leaders through the five-year school leadership programme, which aims to train more than 16,000 school leaders and education officers while reaching about 6,000 secondary schools across Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar.
The programme is being implemented through collaboration between the African Centre for School Leadership, the Agency for the Development of Education Management (ADEM), Education for Development, Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) and other partners.
Prof. Nombo said the initiative marked a major investment in building sustainable leadership capacity within the education sector.
“For many years, professional development opportunities for secondary school leaders have not been widely available. This programme provides an important opportunity to equip education leaders with the skills needed to improve school performance,” she said.
She also announced the formation of the School Leadership Sector Coordination Working Group, which will bring together government institutions, development partners, universities, professional associations and civil society organisations to coordinate efforts and share knowledge.
Prof Nombo further directed ADEM to serve as the secretariat of the working group and provide regular updates to the ministry on progress and recommendations.
ADEM Chief Executive Dr Maulid Jumanne Maulid said strengthening school leadership was essential for Tanzania’s ambition to build an education system that produces competent and innovative citizens.
He said ADEM would continue supporting government priorities by providing leadership training, research and professional development programmes for education managers.
“Schools today need leaders who can guide teaching and learning, manage change, plan strategically, manage resources effectively and work with communities to ensure every learner succeeds,” Dr Maulid said.
He said the Tanzania School Leadership Engagement Week had brought together more than 100 education stakeholdersl from Tanzania and across Africa, including government officials, universities, researchers, development partners and civil society organisations.
