Dar es Salaam. The Government of Tanzania has announced plans to allocate national funding for the Teaching Skills Competition targeting primary and secondary school teachers, starting from the 2026/27 fiscal year — a move aimed at securing long-term sustainability for the programme.
The competition, currently organized by the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE), has until now been funded by the World Bank through its BOOST Primary Student Learning Program, which supports improved teaching and learning outcomes.
Speaking during the award ceremony in Dar es Salaam, Minister for Education, Science and Technology Prof Adolf Mkenda said it was time for the government to fully take ownership of the initiative.
“The World Bank has been a strong supporter of this competition, but the time has come for the government to include it in its national budget to ensure it continues sustainably. I am instructing that preparations begin as early as July 2025,” Prof Mkenda said, while directing senior officials at the ministry to initiate the process.
During the event, Prof Mkenda awarded prizes to top-performing teachers across multiple subjects, including Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Science, and Chemistry, applauding their creativity, innovation and dedication to improving teaching standards.
“I commend all winners, including those who placed between fourth and tenth. This recognition should serve as motivation to continue refining teaching methods in line with our newly launched national education curriculum,” he said.
He further emphasized that teachers play a critical role not only in imparting knowledge but also in mentoring and shaping the next generation.
According to TIE Director General Aneth Komba, the competition has been conducted for three consecutive years at the pre-primary and primary levels, while this year marked the first time that secondary school teachers were included.
For primary school teachers, the competition focused on Science lessons for Grade Four, while secondary school teachers competed in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, English, and ICT, specifically for Form One students.
Komba noted that 184 schools from across Tanzania participated by submitting teaching videos between March and April 2025, showcasing various instructional techniques.
The initial evaluations were conducted at district level, where panels of three judges shortlisted the top ten videos from each district.
These selections progressed to zonal level, where eight judges per zone assessed a total of 1,840 videos.
From there, the top ten videos from each zone advanced to national screening, with 118 videos uploaded to the Learning Management System for final evaluation. Ultimately, 44 teachers emerged as national winners.
The competition included both recorded lessons and live micro-teaching sessions, where teachers demonstrated their methods during 15-minute presentations to verify the authenticity of their recorded skills.
Top prize winners received TZS 4 million (approximately USD 1,550), second-place winners received TZS 3 million, third-place winners TZS 2.5 million, while teachers ranked fourth to tenth received certificates along with TZS 1 million each.
The 15 highest-scoring videos will be archived as official training materials for future teacher development.
World Bank representative Gema Toddy commended the participating teachers for their commitment and urged them to serve as examples for their peers, contributing to broader education reforms in Tanzania.
“The World Bank is proud to be part of this programme. We hope you will continue to share your skills and expertise, driving positive changes that strengthen the quality of teaching across the country,” she said.
Among those recognized was Ms Thereza Boniphase from Mahina Primary School in Mwanza, who won first place in the Science category after placing tenth in the previous year.
“I encourage my fellow teachers not to give up. Last year I ranked tenth, and this year I came first. I am ready to support any colleagues who are interested in participating,” she said.
Also honoured was Mr John Sulle from Muungano Secondary School in Arusha, who won first place in Mathematics.
He said the award comes with significant responsibility.
“This is not just a personal achievement, but also a greater responsibility. Many will now follow my progress and see how I continue to improve student learning and support fellow teachers,” he said.
