Ten Years of Jakaya Kikwete’s Presidency in Tanzania: Analysis of Promises, achievements and challenges in education

Abstract

This review examines President Kikwete’s achievements and challenges in the education sector over the ten-year period that he served as President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Achievements and challenges are examined with respect to educational opportunities and education quality service delivery as measured by students’ academic achievement at primary and secondary school levels. The paper shows that, while President Kikwete’s Government was impressively successful in expanding education opportunities to millions of children in Tanzania, he presided over the poorest quality of the education system in the history of independent Tanzania. The implications of President Kikwete’s education administration are wide ranging. These include sustaining the enrolment rates at various levels and improving the efficiency in the education system by reducing wastage due to the increase in dropout rates. More critically the next Government should focus on improving the quality of education by investing appropriately in ingredients related to the improvement of the quality of education such as teacher motivation.