ZANZIBAR President Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi has pledged that the government will continue to invest heavily in the education sector with special focus on improving infrastructure and supporting teachers.

At a special luncheon held at the State House yesterday, President Mwinyi honoured form four and form six students who excelled in the 2023 and 2024 national exams.

He expressed his satisfaction with the growing number of students achieving top grades, emphasizing their importance for the nation’s development.

The President outlined plans to enhance educational infrastructure, increase teacher recruitment, particularly in science subjects and address teachers’ needs to boost their effectiveness.

Additionally, he revealed that the government will raise funding for higher education loans, encouraging students to take advantage of the support to pursue further their studies.

He highlighted the current positive trends among Zanzibar’s students as a source of motivation for continued investment in the sector.

Dr Mwinyi assured students that the tradition of celebrating academic achievements with awards and shared meals would persist annually to foster motivation and success.

He encouraged students to remain diligent in their studies and congratulated the seven students who earned excellent (A3) results.

He also praised the dedicated efforts of teachers nationwide, recognizing them as essential contributors to the observed successes and urging them to continue their impactful work.

He further commended both district and regional governments for their effective management of the education sector, which has contributed to the recent accomplishments.

President Mwinyi also commended parents of the successful students and the school committees for their excellent supervision, leading to the students' diligent studying and ultimately excellent results.

He assured students that the tradition of celebrating and rewarding them, as well as having meals together, will continue annually to encourage hard work and success.

Zanzibar’s Second Vice President, Hemed Suleiman Abdulla, attributed achievements in the education sector to President Mwinyi’s investments and pledged continued support for these initiatives.

He noted that the President’s vision for modern educational facilities has fostered a conducive learning environment.

The Minister for Education and Vocational Training Lela Muhamed Mussa, highlighted the achievements as a testament to the ruling CCM commitment to improving education and President Mwinyi’s dedication to infrastructure development.

Adolf Mkenda, Minister for Education, Science and Technology praised Zanzibar’s educational progress and acknowledged President Mwinyi’s efforts.

He noted that the government has increased the budget for higher education loans from 4.64bn/- to 7.57bn/-, underscoring the importance of the investment for students and national development.

In total, there were 24,420 students who took the Form Four exams in 2023 from schools in Unguja and Pemba, with 16,771 from Unguja passing and 958 achieving first-class grades.

Two students, Mwanaarab Said Ibrahim from Lumumba Secondary School and Ilham Abdalla Awadh from Feza Schools- Zanzibar, along with three others from mainland Tanzania, won three awards at the Pan-African Mathematics Competition in South Africa.gua