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New digital innovation to tackle truancy and enhances school accountability in Tanzania
What you need to know:
- The Shule Yetu system aims to bridge this information gap by digitally linking school administrators, teachers, students, and parents in one integrated platform. Schools using the platform can send real-time updates via SMS—including information on exam results, attendance, timetables, and fee payments—directly to parents. Each message contains the school’s name and student details, promoting accountability and limiting the risk of fraud.
Dar es Salaam. In a bid to transform education management and improve accountability in Tanzania’s schools, Shule Yetu Innovations Limited is equipping schools with a digital management system that enhances transparency, communication, and efficiency.
Speaking during the just-ended Innovation Week, held under the theme “Innovation for a Resilient and Inclusive Future,” Shule Yetu Chief Executive Officer, Ms Nasra Ally, said the idea for the platform was born in 2021 after recognising the difficulties parents face in tracking their children's academic performance.
“If you ask a parent about their child’s progress, many simply don’t know. Children often lose report cards—especially if they’ve performed poorly. Sometimes receipts get wet or never reach home,” she explained.
The Shule Yetu system aims to bridge this information gap by digitally linking school administrators, teachers, students, and parents in one integrated platform. Schools using the platform can send real-time updates via SMS—including information on exam results, attendance, timetables, and fee payments—directly to parents. Each message contains the school’s name and student details, promoting accountability and limiting the risk of fraud.
“This also helps curb truancy among both teachers and students because attendance is tracked. If a student misses a mathematics class, for instance, the parent will be informed whether the teacher was present or not,” Ms Nasra said.
The system is currently in use across 230 private schools in nine regions. The company plans to expand to 11 regions and over 400 schools by the end of the year.
Ms Nasra added that Shule Yetu is actively engaging with stakeholders, including religious organisations that manage networks of schools, although bureaucratic processes are slowing expansion.
To address digital literacy gaps, the company conducts regular training sessions for teachers and parents. “Many schools are privately owned, but it’s still a challenge for teachers to use computers effectively,” she observed.
Although the platform is currently deployed only in private schools, Shule Yetu is in talks with the government about introducing the system in public schools. As public education is free, the company is advocating for state support to cover the system’s minimal operating costs.
With smartphone and internet penetration in Tanzania estimated to have grown by 30 percent in 2023/24, Shule Yetu sees growing opportunities to deepen parental engagement.
“Parents can now use their smartphones to access their children’s academic data,” Ms Nasra noted, adding that as Tanzania’s education sector embraces digital solutions, Shule Yetu is showing how technology can help improve learning outcomes and accountability.
