Resource Mobilization for Education Financing

Tanzania Education Authority manages the Education Fund. One of the core function of TEA is to mobilise resources in order to supplement Government efforts in financing education projects  at all levels in Tanzania Mainland and tertiary levels of education in Tanzania Zanzibar. This role requireas a strong commitment by both the public and the private sector education stakeholders.

Over the past two decades, Tanzania has recorded a number of achievements in raising the equitable access to quality education. The review by the Education sector plan 2016/17 – 2020/21 in 2018 on the implementation of various education policies as part of the preparation for the 2014 education and training policy showed that there has been rapid expansion of the education sector at all levels. For instance, the net enrolment for pre-primary education has reached 44.6 percent in 2017, which is one the highest in the sub-Saharan African region. The primary education gross enrolment rate has almost become universal (96.9%) with net enrolment at 84%, and more than 70% of the primary school leavers transit to secondary education. Higher education has also expanded rapidly from less than 20 higher education institutions in 2005 to more than 50 in 2016, with the enrolment more than quadrupling over the past decade, from less than 40,000 in 2005 to more than 200,000 in 2015.

Despite of these impressive achievements in expanding access to education at various levels, several challenges constrain the development of education in Tanzania. The main challenge is the poor education infrastructures mostly at basic education (primary and lower secondary education), lack of sufficient resource to bring out required infrastructure and quality Teaching and Learning Facilities especially in the rural areas. These challenges have greatly affected the literacy and numeracy skills of children participating in basic education, and poor life-long learning skills among graduates at various levels of education.

Following the situation described above, the Government has raised the share of expenditures for education sector above 21%, and the proportion allocated to Pre-Primary and Primary levels has stayed high, above 50%, and with an increasing trend. However, to reach the target of having an educated society by 2025, more resources from public and private institutions are needed.  More willing actors are called upon to take part in improving equitable access to education.