Itega Secondary School has won the 2026 VIA Road Safety Competition, earning the opportunity to represent Tanzania at a regional contest in December, as efforts to make school journeys safer for children gain momentum.
Itega emerged the overall winner ahead of Dodoma Secondary School, which finished second, and Wella Secondary School, which came third, at the competition organised by TotalEnergies Marketing Tanzania Limited in partnership with the TotalEnergies Foundation and Tanzania Enlightenment Development Innovations (TEDI).
The winners were announced on November 7, 2026, at a ceremony held at Dodoma Secondary School.
As part of the award, TotalEnergies Marketing Tanzania Limited will provide TZS15 million to support the implementation of road safety improvements proposed by Itega students, subject to approval by the school's leadership.
The winning school will represent Tanzania at the regional competition scheduled for December 2, 2026. If successful, it will advance to the international final, where the ultimate winners stand a chance of winning a trip to Paris, France.
Speaking at the ceremony, TotalEnergies Marketing Tanzania Limited Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs Marsha Msuya said the programme sought to ensure that children's journeys to school did not expose them to dangers that could cost them their lives or disrupt their education.
“Every child who leaves home for school should return safely. That is the goal that brings us together today,” she said.
Ms Msuya identified speeding, inadequate pedestrian walkways and unsafe crossing points as some of the challenges requiring collective action to protect schoolchildren.
She said road safety education should go beyond classroom lessons to influence children's everyday behaviour, including avoiding playing on roads, not using mobile phones while crossing, wearing seat belts and using helmets when travelling on motorcycles.
“Protecting a student on the road means protecting their life and their opportunity to access education,” she said.
The 2026 competition was part of a wider programme that reached 10 schools and 9,472 students in Dodoma. Of these, 3,717 learners received direct training in the three competing schools, while 7,761 were reached through peer-to-peer education in seven other schools.
The initiative also trained 60 Road Safety Ambassadors to spread safety messages among fellow students, families and communities.
Since its introduction in Tanzania in 2022, the VIA programme has reached more than 40,000 primary and secondary school students in over 70 schools across Dar es Salaam, Coast, Morogoro and Dodoma, producing more than 400 road safety ambassadors.
Ms Msuya said the programme was also intended to translate students' ideas into practical improvements rather than leave them as classroom recommendations.
She cited Makuburi Primary School, the 2024 winner, which benefited from the construction of a perimeter wall following students' proposals.
Buguruni Deaf Primary School, the 2025 winner, also benefited from road safety signs designed to support learners with hearing impairments, alongside the replacement of a firewood-powered kitchen with a gas-powered one.
“This is how students' ideas are turned into visible improvements that benefit schools and communities,” she said.
This year's edition introduced digital technology to make road safety education more practical and engaging.
Students used tablets to photograph and document road safety hazards during discovery walks around their schools before producing short videos and awareness posters to communicate their findings and proposed solutions.
Speaking on behalf of TEDI's Managing Director, Ms Sarah Mwalongo said the approach combined road safety education with digital literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
“Digital literacy is now essential for young people, so we put technology in their hands,” she said.
She explained that students used the tablets to examine their daily routes, photograph dangerous areas and map identified hazards.
“In the process, they built digital skills, critical thinking and problem-solving, and learned that technology can help them make their communities safer,” she said.
Representing the Dodoma Regional Education Officer, District Education Officer Justin Machela commended TotalEnergies Marketing Tanzania Limited, the TotalEnergies Foundation and TEDI for supporting road safety education in schools.
“Teaching road safety to our children is commendable and worthy of emulation. It supports the Government's efforts to prevent road accidents, so that no child's journey to school becomes a barrier to education,” he said.
Mr Machela urged other companies and stakeholders to invest in similar initiatives, noting that protecting children required cooperation among schools, parents, government authorities and road safety institutions.
He also praised the programme's efforts to include learners with disabilities, particularly deaf students, through sign language, visual materials and teaching approaches that accommodate different learning needs.
He said such interventions were important in ensuring that no learner was left behind in accessing essential safety information.
Addressing the students, Mr Machela urged the 60 Road Safety Ambassadors to extend the knowledge gained beyond school boundaries.
“Continue educating your fellow students, younger children and families about road safety. Lead by example, observe traffic rules and report dangerous areas to teachers and responsible adults,” he said.
He added that students should work with school management and traffic police when addressing road safety concerns without exposing themselves to danger.
For Itega Secondary School, the December regional competition will provide an opportunity to demonstrate how young people can contribute to addressing road safety challenges, while the TZS15 million support is expected to turn its proposals into practical improvements.