More than 4.2 million Tanzanian students are expected to take national assessments this month as the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA) begins a series of tests covering Standard Two, Standard Four and Form Two students.
NECTA Executive Secretary Professor Said Mohamed said on Sunday, October 4, 2026, that a total of 4,213,144 students have been registered for the assessments, which will be conducted at schools and centres across Mainland Tanzania, as well as private candidates’ centres in Zanzibar.
The Standard Four assessment will be conducted on October 5 and 6 in 21,008 primary schools, involving 1,591,064 students.
The assessment for Standard Two students will follow on October 7 and 8, involving 1,827,367 students registered in 21,353 primary schools.
Of the Standard Two candidates, 920,822 are girls and 906,545 are boys, according to Professor Mohamed.
He said 1,675,355 Standard Two students, equivalent to 91.68 percent, will take the assessment in Kiswahili, while 152,012 students, or 8.32 percent, will sit for it in English, depending on the language used in their instruction.
For Standard Four, 1,468,885 students, equivalent to 92.32 percent, will take the assessment in Kiswahili, while 122,179 students, or 7.68 percent, will take it in English.
The assessments will also include thousands of students with special needs. NECTA has registered 5,603 Standard Four students with special needs.
For Standard Two, 5,295 students with special needs have been registered. They include 1,062 students with low vision, 112 who are blind, 929 with hearing impairment, 1,208 with intellectual disabilities and 1,984 with physical disabilities.
The Form Two National Assessment will be conducted from October 12 to 23, 2026, involving 794,713 students at 6,612 secondary schools and 599 centres for private candidates in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Professor Mohamed said 786,163 candidates are school students, while 8,550 are private candidates.
Girls account for the majority of registered Form Two candidates at 434,627, or 55.28 percent, compared with 351,536 boys, representing 44.72 percent.
Of the Form Two candidates, 781,127 students will take the General Stream assessment, while 5,036 will sit for the Vocational Stream assessment, administered under the Education and Training Policy of 2014, 2023 Edition.
Professor Mohamed said preparations for the assessments had been completed, including distributing assessment papers and other materials to councils and municipalities.
He said arrangements had also been made to accommodate students with special needs and ensure they can participate under appropriate conditions.
With millions of students set to take the assessments, NECTA has warned candidates and school officials against compromising the integrity of the process.
Professor Mohamed cautioned students against examination malpractice, saying candidates found cheating would have their results cancelled in accordance with examination regulations.
He said supervisors had been instructed to perform their duties with integrity and ensure that all candidates are given a fair opportunity to complete their assessments.
NECTA has also warned school owners and heads against interfering with assessment supervisors.
According to Professor Mohamed, any assessment centre found to have compromised the security or integrity of the process could have its assessment cancelled.
The assessments are expected to provide an important measure of students' learning progress at different stages of basic and secondary education, while also testing the effectiveness of teaching and learning across schools.