African countries are seeking to reshape their education systems to equip young people with practical skills, knowledge and values needed to navigate changing labour markets and the demands of the 21st century.
The issue is at the centre of the Sixth African Curriculum Association (ACA) Conference, which opened in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, bringing together education stakeholders from 22 countries in Africa and beyond.
Opening the four-day conference, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG), Prof Riziki Shemdoe, said Tanzania was honoured to host the meeting because of the reforms it was undertaking to improve the quality and relevance of education.
He said participants from Africa, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States were using the meeting to exchange experiences on curriculum reforms, particularly the transition from traditional teaching approaches to competency-based curricula.
“We have gathered African countries, as well as our colleagues from Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States, who have come to see how we have implemented curriculum reforms,” Prof Shemdoe said.
The shift towards competency-based education is intended to ensure students graduate with not only academic knowledge but also practical skills and the ability to apply what they have learned in different settings.
Prof Shemdoe said Tanzania’s curriculum reforms were designed to equip learners with skills that could be applied in daily life and across social and economic activities.
He said the government had also continued investing in education infrastructure to support the reforms, including the construction of 130 pre-primary schools in different parts of the country.
The minister commended the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE), Zanzibar’s Ministry of Education and Vocational Training and other stakeholders for their contribution to the conference.
Zanzibar’s Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Dr Mwanakhamisi Adam Ameir, said the conference provided an opportunity for Tanzania and Zanzibar to learn from other countries about implementing curriculum reforms.
She said sharing experiences was important because countries face different challenges when introducing changes to their education systems.
“Through this conference, we will be able to learn from our colleagues, while they will also learn from us about how we are implementing the changes contained in our curricula,” Dr Ameir said.
She said Tanzania’s new curriculum, introduced in 2023, includes areas such as technology and vocational training intended to help young people develop skills relevant to employment and everyday life.
Meanwhile, TIE Director General Dr Aneth Komba said the conference was organised through collaboration between curriculum institutions in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
She said the meeting was also addressing the need for African countries to develop curricula that reflect their own history, culture, environment and socio-economic realities.
For decades, she said, some African education systems had retained curricula influenced by systems introduced during the colonial period, creating a continuing need to develop approaches that better reflect African circumstances.
“Our major agenda is to ensure that we develop curricula that prepare a patriotic African who takes pride in being African and, more importantly, has values and knowledge of African traditions and customs,” Dr Komba said.
She said the first three days of the conference would focus on curriculum-related discussions, while participants would visit schools on the fourth day to observe the implementation of curriculum reforms and developments in education infrastructure.
The conference is expected to produce three major outcomes: the Dar es Salaam Declaration on African curricula, a guide for curriculum development in Africa and recommendations for improving curriculum development and implementation.
Dr Komba said the outcomes were expected to help African countries strengthen education systems and ensure curricula prepare young people with skills that respond to both current and future needs.