Equality of Opportunity in Education and Training - Programmes - Tanzania

Affirmative Action in Higher Education

In 1994, the University of Dar-es-Salaam established The Gender Dimension Task Force to implement a gender balance policy articulated in its Corporate Strategic Plan (1994).

The Plan includes affirmative action measures whereby female candidates are admitted at up to 1.5 points lower than male candidates, but not lower than the University entry points. As a result of these positive measures, the female enrollment percentage rose from 17% in 1995/96 to 29% in 1996/97.

Primary Education Development Program (PEDP)

Under Ministry of Education and Culture, the Government is implementing a five-year Primary Education Development Program 2001-2006 in collaboration with development partners. PEDP is part of an broader Education Sector Development Program (ESDP). The aim of PEDP is to have all primary school aged children at school by 2006. The gender issues in education are to do with late enrolment of girls into primary grade 1; early marriage; poor performance in Primary School Leaving Exam and high rates of repetition, among others. At the secondary level, the gross enrolment rate is only 5% for boys and girls.

PEDP has achieved in abolishing mandatory contributions, such as school fees and in relaxing the school uniform requirement.

Training Fund for Tanzanian Women (TFTW)

Includes programmes aimed at improving women's professional, technical, managerial and other work-related skills. Projects involve income generation, training for entrepreneurial development, leadership and organizational skills. Agriculture, education, health, environmental health, gender and development, entrepreneurship, statistics, accounting, food production, rural technologies are a some of the areas the fund has been involved in. Numerous governmental ministries are involved in implementing the Fund.