Tanzania has made strong progress in expanding access to education. In 1999,
Tanzania adopted its Vision 2025, which put strong emphasis on expanding
access to education (Planning Commission 1999). Through the Primary
Education Development Program (PEDP), it eliminated tuition fees and expanded
schools throughout the country. Primary school enrollment increased from 4.8 to
8.4 million between 2001 and 2010. From 2004, partly as a reaction to the large
influx of students from primary schools, the country embarked on the Secondary
Education Development Program (SEDP), with emphasis on building schools in
every ward. Enrollment in secondary schools almost quadrupled between 2005
and 2010, highlighting the magnitude of enrollment growth in a country that is
still in the middle of a demographic transition.
Although educational opportunities have expanded for large numbers of
students, learning outcomes are often weak and have even declined further in
recent years. In 2012, only 31 percent of those who sat for the Primary School
Leaving Examination (PSLE) exams passed, down from 58 percent in 2011. At
the secondary level, the pass rate of the Certificate of Secondary Education
Examination (CSEE) has also declined in the past few years (figure 1.1). Results
from the 2011 Uwezo Tanzania learning assessment show that the large majority
of students in Standard 3 does not possess Standard 2 level literacy and
numeracy skills.