Educational Policy in Tanzania from Independence to the Present: Continuity and Transformation

This thesis studies the changes in the formal educational policies in Tanzania from independence until the present. Since independence in 1961, the government of Tanzania has attempted several times to reform the educational system to meet their development objectives different objectives and generate desired outcomes. This thesis compares the 1967 Education for Self-Reliance policy with the most recent 1995 Education and Training Policy by taking a historical view of the role of work-oriented education in primary and secondary institutions. Using the framework developed by Wim Hoppers (1996), this study finds that work-oriented education is an important strategy for improving the relevance of the educational system in both policies. However the educational system has undergone noteworthy changes in the approach and focus of work-oriented education during this time. The most significant of these changes is a shift in emphasis from rural-oriented vocational education to technology education as the major focus of work-oriented education, demonstrated through supplementary education policies such as the 2007 Information and Communication Technology policy. This thesis maintains that the continued presence of work-oriented education has important implications for the 1995 Education and Training Policy, particularly because the current work-oriented program shares many of the same challenges that impeded the 1967 Education for Self-Reliance policy. Through historical analysis of past experiences and issues, these challenges must be recognized and addressed in order for the current policy to be successfully implemented and to achieve its work-oriented education objectives