The Sites

Tanzania

Scale Portfolio

Government partnership for scale

Tanzania is part of our Scale Portfolio. Thanks to the bold leadership of the Permanent Secretary and Minister of Education, we introduced our program to 62 schools in 2025, with the plan to launch in 500+ schools by 2027.

This progress stems from early implementations and research conducted with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) with children in emergency settings, as well as in two government schools in the region.

Current Impact At a Glance

Students

18,112

Schools (+solar)

62

Tablets

5,813

Teachers Trained

491

Early Pilots and Evidence-Building in Tanzania
NYARUGUSU REFUGEE CAMP

Serving children through a supplemental learning program designed for grades 1, 2, and 3 and offered during the 8-week break between school years.

  • Location: Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Kigoma, Tanzania
  • Curriculum and Language of Instruction: Math and Literacy (in Swahili)
  • Research Focus: How much additional learning in literacy and numeracy do children gain through the program? What is the cost-effectiveness of the intervention?
  • Type of Study: Implementation study followed by an efficacy RCT and cost-effectiveness study.
HOST COMMUNITY IN KIGOMA

Serving children through an after-school supplemental learning program in two primary schools and designed for grades 1, 2, and 3.

  • Location: Kigoma, Tanzania
  • Curriculum and Language of Instruction: Math and Literacy (in Swahili)
  • Research Focus: How much additional learning in literacy and numeracy do children gain through the program? What is the cost-effectiveness of the intervention?
  • Type of Study: Implementation study followed by an efficacy RCT and cost-effectiveness study.
State of Education in Tanzania

Education in Tanzania presents both progress and persistent challenges

While the country has made significant progress in expanding school enrollment, this increase has adversely affected quality, resulting in high teacher-to-student ratios. There are also challenges in school infrastructure, teacher training, and instructional materials. Consequently, many children struggle to meet the expected learning benchmarks for their age and grade.

Population: 67.4 million

Number of public primary schools: 18,055 (Mainland) and 360+ (Zanzibar)

Number of primary school children: 10.7m (Mainland) and 500,000 (Zanzibar)

Pupil-teacher ratio: 77:1 (Mainland)

Completion rate: 80%