The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office for Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), Riziki Shemdoe, has called on vocational teachers to equip Tanzanian youth with practical skills that will enable them to become innovative, entrepreneurial and competitive in the job market.
Speaking in Dodoma on May 4, 2026, Prof. Shemdoe met about 150 teachers from vocational secondary schools who recently returned from capacity-building training in India.
The programme focused on strengthening technical education and workplace skills to support industrialisation, tackle youth unemployment and improve labour market competitiveness.
“We expect these teachers to go back and transform our classrooms into centres of innovation and skills development,” said Prof. Shemdoe. “Our goal is to see young people who can compete for jobs locally and internationally, and those who can also create their own opportunities.”
He said the government is placing increasing emphasis on vocational education as a pathway to economic transformation, urging the teachers to apply and share the knowledge gained with both students and fellow educators.
“Make sure the knowledge you have acquired benefits not only your students but also your fellow teachers. This is how we build a strong and sustainable system,” he added.
Prof. Shemdoe also noted that TAMISEMI, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education Science and Technology Tanzania, plans to seek funding to support training for 601 more vocational teachers.
The minister commended the Ministry of Education, TAMISEMI officials and Global Education Link for coordinating the initiative, saying it will support the rollout of the new education curriculum.
Teachers who attended the training said it had strengthened their ability to prepare students for real-world opportunities.
Paul Maziku of Chato Secondary School said the programme had equipped them with practical tools to guide students towards achieving their goals.
“We have learned how to nurture students’ talents and help them turn their ideas into real opportunities. We are ready to deliver change,” he said.
Another participant, Sungura Mollel from Ruvuma Vocational Secondary School, said the exposure to industry-aligned curriculum development was particularly valuable.
“In India, we learned how to design training programmes based on the needs of industries. This will help us prepare students with relevant skills for the job market,” he said.
