EDUCATION stakeholders have called for sweeping reforms to the Education Act of 1978 to enshrine compulsory education, fee-free schooling and legally guaranteed school feeding programmes.

The proposals were tabled in Dar es Salaam over the weekend at a consultative meeting convened by the Tanzania Education Network (TEN/MET), which brought together representatives from across the education sector and civil society to review the nearly five-decade-old legislation.

The review comes amid growing concerns that the existing legal framework no longer reflects the demands of modern education policy, labour market realities or child protection standards, participants noted.

Salehe Bukanu, an education stakeholder from Mwanza Region urged the Ministry of Education re-examine the regulation of private tuition as a section of the teaching profession use extra paid sessions to teach material that should be covered during normal school hours.

This disadvantages pupils who cannot afford additional classes, especially those from low-income families, placed at a severe disadvantage. “When examinations are set largely from content delivered during private tuition, those unable to attend are unfairly penalised,” he said.

Unless tuition is properly regulated, efforts to guarantee equitable access to education will be undermined, he said, also suggesting introducing sign language instruction from primary school through to university level.

This would help to improve communication in essential public services, including hospitals and markets, he stated, while Simon Ndallu from Lindi Region proposed that newly constructed secondary schools include boarding facilities to enhance safety for girls, reduce vulnerability to exploitation and improve performance.

Other recommendations included inserting a clear legal provision requiring the re-enrolment of pupils who drop out for pregnancy or other reasons, when they are ready to complete their education cycle.

Stakeholders further urged lawmakers to remove contradictions between the Marriage Act and the Education Act, arguing that legal inconsistencies weaken efforts to protect girls’ right to education.

They also called for statutory recognition of a professional teachers’ board to strengthen standards and accountability within the sector, whereas Wanu Hafidhi Ameir, the Education deputy minister, affirmed that the government is working on the 1978 Act to align it with the Education and Training Policy 2014 (2023 Edition) and ongoing curriculum changes.

As implementation of the policy touches all levels of education having a policy is one thing, but effective implementation requires the right legal instruments, she said, citing efforts at reviewing institutional and organisational structures in the sector, with a view to improving efficiency and policy delivery.

Martha Makala, the TEN/MET national education coordinator, described the review as an opportunity to build an inclusive, rights-based and high-quality education system capable of addressing youth unemployment and widening inequality.

Key issues raised include legal guarantee of ten years of compulsory education, formalising fee-free schooling to ensure sustainability and embodying school feeding into law through shared responsibility between government and parents.

Legal backing is essential to make reforms effective and long-lasting, she stated, asserting that the review provides a critical opportunity to build a fair, high-quality education system that meets current social, economic and labour market needs. 

Strengthening teacher training and professional development to maintain high standards in classrooms and updating legal provisions on child protection, including measures to combat child marriage need to be encompassed in the review, she stated.

Prof Saudin Mwakaje, chairing the Education Act review committee, said projected reforms are meant to strengthen social and economic needs while ensuring compliance with international education commitments and labour market demands.

The Education Act, enacted in 1978, predates major demographic shifts, global education standards and expansion of secondary schooling, where its revision could determine whether Tanzania consolidates recent gains in access to education or struggles with persistent inequality and weak enforcement, the lead reviewer intoned.