Dar es Salaam. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has granted relief to students who failed their Form Two examinations, allowing them to proceed to Form Three in 2026 instead of repeating the class, while undergoing a special remedial programme.
The Commissioner for Education, Dr Lyabwene Mtahabwa, announced the directive in a public statement on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
The decision comes just hours after the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA) released the 2025 Form Two examination results, showing that 705,091 candidates, equivalent to 86.93 percent, qualified to proceed to Form Three after attaining grades one to four, an increase of 1.52 percent compared with 2024.
In 2025, the Form Two examination was conducted in two streams for the first time, including a practical education stream.
Results show a 100 percent pass rate in engineering-related practical subjects such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, automotive studies, and information and communication technology.
In non-engineering practical subjects, including agriculture and food processing, hospitality and tourism, fashion and tailoring, sports and creative arts, eight out of 14 subjects recorded a 100 percent pass rate.
However, performance was poor in leather goods and footwear, where only three out of 20 candidates, equivalent to 15 percent, passed.
What the commissioner said
In a statement, Dr Mtahabwa directed that students who failed to attain the minimum pass marks in the 2025 Form Two examinations should proceed to Form Three in 2026 instead of repeating Form Two.
“These students will be provided with a special remedial programme while continuing with their Form Three studies,” he said.
He explained that the decision takes into account the phased implementation of the improved curriculum.
Students who sat the 2025 Form Two assessment were taught under the old curriculum and will complete Form Four using the same syllabus.
“Students entering Form Two in 2026 will be using the improved curriculum which they started in Form One. If students who failed in 2025 were required to repeat Form Two in 2026, they would be forced to switch to a curriculum they did not begin with, creating serious teaching and learning challenges,” explained Dr Mtahabwa.
However, he clarified that the directive applies only to students assessed under the old curriculum in 2025.
Students in the practical education stream who failed to meet the pass mark will continue to repeat Form Two in 2026, as they have been studying under the improved curriculum since Form One.
“We expect that heads of schools with affected students will fully implement these directives and ensure that all learners are properly taught and supported to achieve the intended competencies,” reads part of the statement.
