UPDP’s bold plan to equip youth for a changing world

Yet, the challenges remain visible. A shortage of qualified teachers, high pupil-to-teacher ratios, inadequate infrastructure, and limited alignment between classroom learning and the labour market continue to define the landscape.

According to the World Bank, more than 800,000 young Tanzanians enter the job market each year, but only a fraction secure formal employment. The rest are absorbed into the informal economy or remain unemployed.

It is against this backdrop that the United People’s Democratic Party (UPDP) has presented an ambitious, if not radical, vision for education in its 2025–2030 election manifesto.

A new structure: from primary to skills training

At the heart of UPDP’s proposal is a restructuring of the education system. Instead of the traditional seven years of primary education, the party envisions a ten-year programme: seven years of classroom-based learning, followed by three years dedicated specifically to vocational and skills training. “A child will start school from Grade One up to Grade Ten.

For seven years they will study academic subjects in class, and for three years they will focus on vocational education,” the manifesto states. For those who excel, the pathway to secondary school and higher learning will remain open.

But for others who exit after ten years, the transition into the workforce will be facilitated by government-backed cooperatives.

“These groups will receive loans to buy tools, work in government-built workshops or small factories, and produce goods for both local and export markets,” it further states.

A system under strain

Experts argue that such a restructuring responds to longstanding weaknesses. Tanzania’s education system is characterised by high dropout rates, particularly after primary school.

Data from the ministry of Education shows that while primary enrolment has improved in the last two decades, less than 35 percent of pupils transition to ordinary-level secondary school.

“Most children, particularly in rural areas, drop out because their families cannot afford uniforms, books, or transport,” says an education researcher at the University of Dar es Salaam, Dr Agatha Komba.

“Even for those who complete primary school, the curriculum is heavily academic, with little preparation for life skills or employment.”

The skills mismatch is even more glaring at higher levels. Universities continue to produce graduates in social sciences and business, while industries lament shortages in engineering, agriculture, and vocational trades.

This disconnect contributes to unemployment and underemployment, a frustration that has fuelled urban poverty.

Linking schools to industries

What makes the UPDP blueprint stand out is the direct link between schools, vocational skills, and small industries. Under the plan, graduates of the ten-year basic education system will form groups that function almost like cooperatives.

These groups will not only access loans for start-up tools but will also have bank accounts, sell their products through formal markets, and pay themselves salaries from revenues.

The government, in turn, will provide technical support and access to markets at home and abroad.

“These groups will be provided with factories to work in… The sales of their products will be deposited in banks, and they will pay themselves their own salaries,” the manifesto outlines.

If implemented, the idea could redefine how education is tied to the economy. Instead of producing job seekers, the system would churn out job creators.

The idea of merging schooling with vocational training is not entirely new. Countries like Germany and Switzerland have long embraced the dual vocational education system, where students split their time between classroom learning and apprenticeships in industries. 

This model has been credited with keeping youth unemployment in those countries among the lowest in Europe. Closer to home, Rwanda has also made significant strides.

Its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) strategy has expanded in recent years, with the government building new polytechnics and partnering with the private sector to train young people in ICT, construction, and hospitality.

“UPDP’s plan echoes the logic behind successful models elsewhere,” notes an independent education consultant, Dr Johnson Mrema. “But the challenge will be ensuring that industries are in place to absorb these young people; otherwise, we risk training them for a non-existent market.”

The financing question

A critical issue is whether such a transformative plan is financially feasible. Building new workshops, providing loans, and guaranteeing markets require significant public investment. Tanzania already spends around four percent of GDP on education, slightly below the recommended global benchmark of six percent.

According to economist and policy analyst Mr Samuel Mushi, the idea is bold but could strain national resources. “The vision is sound — no one disputes the need for skills training. But the government must explain how it will finance not just the teaching but also the capital for youth cooperatives and the industries to support them. Without a clear financing strategy, this risks being another well-intentioned promise,” Mr Mushi says.

UPDP has argued that revenue will be raised from efficient tax collection and by cutting wastage in government spending.

The teachers’ dilemma

For such a plan to succeed, Tanzania would also need a massive investment in teachers, particularly in vocational subjects. Already, the teacher shortage is severe. Official figures suggest a deficit of over 100,000 teachers at the primary and secondary levels combined.

“Vocational training requires specialised instructors — carpentry, mechanics, ICT, tailoring, welding. Where will these teachers come from? We cannot rely only on the few vocational colleges we have now,” argues educationist Martha Lymo.

She suggests that UPDP, if elected, would need to establish new teacher training colleges specifically for vocational subjects, alongside upgrading existing ones.

For young people themselves, the promise resonates strongly.

“I finished Form Four three years ago, and since then I’ve been hustling in bodaboda transport,” says 23-year-old Joseph Michael from Morogoro. “If I had proper training and access to tools, I would prefer to run a workshop or a small factory. But we always hear promises during elections, and nothing follows.”

This mixture of hope and scepticism reflects a broader sentiment among Tanzanian youth: they want opportunity, but they also demand accountability.

Education reform has long been on the agenda of Tanzanian politics, and the ruling party CCM has in recent years revamped the sector with the revision of the Education and Training Policy 2014, edition of 2023.

Now UPDP’s manifesto offers a bold departure from the status quo, promising to align schooling with skills and employment in a way that could dramatically reshape the country’s socio-economic fabric.

Experts warn, however, that the plan must be backed by solid financing, teacher training, and industry partnerships. Without these, the dream of turning pupils into producers may falter.

Still, in a country where joblessness continues to frustrate millions of youth, the conversation sparked by UPDP is timely and necessary.

As Mr Mushi puts it: “The party is asking the right questions. Whether it can deliver the answers is what Tanzanians will judge come Election Day.”