The Weights and Measures Agency (WMA) has been urged to expand its school measurement clubs programme to secondary schools as part of a broader effort to strengthen consumer awareness and promote fair trade practices.
College of Business Education (CBE) lecturer Patroba Chaulo said the initiative, which has already been introduced in some primary schools, could become an important channel for taking knowledge about accurate measurements beyond classrooms and into households.
He commended WMA for using students as ambassadors of measurement education, saying the approach could help address a key challenge reaching communities with practical knowledge about the importance of using accurate and verified measurements in everyday transactions.
According to Mr Chaulo, the programme could benefit significantly from the “child-to-child” education model, in which students share information with their peers and subsequently take the knowledge home to their families.
“A child can explain something to another child more easily than an adult explaining it to a pupil. This makes the child-to-child approach an important opportunity for spreading measurement education,” he said.
The approach, he added, could allow WMA to create a wider network of young measurement ambassadors, particularly in communities where the agency may have limited capacity to conduct direct public education.
“WMA cannot reach every household, but these students come from different families. They therefore become an important link for taking measurement education from schools to families and communities,” he said.
The proposal comes at a time when accurate measurements remain central to fair transactions between consumers and traders.
Whether buying food, fuel or other goods sold by quantity or weight, consumers depend on reliable measurement systems to ensure they receive what they have paid for.
Mr Chaulo said greater public understanding of verified measurements would help consumers recognise their rights while also encouraging traders to comply with requirements governing the use of approved measuring instruments.
He said measurement education should therefore not be viewed solely as a technical issue for regulators, but as part of broader consumer protection and public awareness.
A consumer who understands the importance of accurate measurements is more likely to question questionable practices and demand properly measured goods, while traders also benefit from a more transparent business environment.
Mr Chaulo called on WMA to consolidate the clubs already established in primary schools and extend them to secondary schools, arguing that reaching more students would broaden the programme's potential impact.
The expansion could also help create long-term awareness among young people before they enter the workforce or become consumers and business operators, making accurate measurements a familiar part of everyday economic activity.
For WMA, the school-based approach offers an opportunity to complement its regulatory responsibilities with preventive public education.
Instead of relying only on enforcement after measurement-related disputes arise, early education could help communities understand the value of compliance and fair transactions.
Strengthening measurement clubs across schools could therefore serve both consumers and businesses by promoting a culture in which accurate, standardised and verified measurements are regarded as a basic requirement for fair trade.
The wider objective is to ensure that knowledge about standards and measurements moves from regulatory institutions to schools, households and communities, ultimately contributing to greater consumer protection and confidence in Tanzania's marketplace.