Tanzania’s changing classrooms demand a new approach to teacher training

Dar es Salaam. As Tanzania moves towards an education system placing greater emphasis on skills, competence and technology, education experts are calling for a fundamental rethink of how teachers are prepared for the classroom.

The argument is that producing more teachers alone will not be enough.

Teachers must also be equipped to help learners think critically, solve problems, communicate, create and apply knowledge in a world increasingly shaped by digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

The issue was among those discussed during the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development, East Africa (IED, EA) regional learning exchange in Dar es Salaam held on Friday,  August 21, 2026.

The forum brought together teacher educators, policymakers, researchers, school leaders, student teachers and practising teachers from East Africa and beyond.

In her remarks, IED, EA Interim Dean, Prof Jane Rarieya, said changes must begin with teacher preparation.

“The future of education in East Africa depends not only on having enough teachers, but on how well we prepare, support and empower them throughout their careers,” she said.

The concern comes as Tanzania implements the Education and Training Policy 2014, 2023 Edition, and improved curricula that place greater emphasis on competency-based learning.

The policy and curricula require a shift from teaching mainly for knowledge acquisition to developing learners who can apply what they learn to real-life situations.

Tanzania is also putting digital technology at the centre of education reform.

The National Digital Education Strategy 2024/25–2029/30 and related guidelines for schools and teacher colleges seek to strengthen the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning.

The government has also introduced national guidelines on AI in education, while new ICT competency standards for teachers were published in 2026.

This means today’s teacher is expected to do more than deliver lessons from textbooks.

The national AI guidelines, for example, call for AI literacy in curricula and professional development for educators so teachers can understand and use AI in teaching and learning.

They also recognise AI’s potential to support personalised learning and assessment while warning about risks such as bias, privacy concerns and lack of transparency.

Prof Rarieya said teacher preparation therefore needs to become more closely connected to the realities teachers face in schools.

“As education systems increasingly embrace competency-based approaches, teachers need to be equipped to understand learners’ needs, make informed professional decisions, assess learning, adapt their teaching and collaborate effectively with the communities they serve,” she said.

An IED lecturer, Dr Nipael Mrutu, said the focus should be on defining the type of teacher needed in a rapidly changing world.

He said teachers need opportunities to exchange experiences, examine which teaching approaches work and which do not, and develop better ways of responding to changing learner needs.

For practising teachers, this means moving away from a culture where learners are blamed when they fail to understand a concept.

Jangwani Secondary School teacher and Tanzania English Language Teachers Association leader Ayub Msuya said teachers should instead ask whether their teaching methods are responding to learners’ needs.

“Teachers should not blame students when they fail to understand. They should look for new approaches that match their learners’ needs,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of learning from teachers in other countries and using technology appropriately.

The proposed response is therefore not simply to add technology to existing teacher training.

Experts argue for stronger practical preparation, mentoring and continuous professional learning.

Student teachers need meaningful classroom experience before entering the profession, while newly employed teachers need professional learning communities and mentoring.

Experienced teachers, meanwhile, can be given greater roles as mentors, researchers and leaders of classroom innovation.

“This approach would also give teachers greater professional agency—the ability to make informed decisions about how best to help their learners rather than simply following instructions,” Prof Rarieya noted.

For Tanzania, that could be critical as the country seeks to produce graduates equipped for an economy demanding higher levels of technical, digital and problem-solving skills.

The Ministry of Education’s current framework already recognises that digital skills are becoming essential for learners to participate effectively in social and economic life.

The challenge now is ensuring that the teacher standing in front of those learners is equally prepared.