The 10th Annual Quality Education Conference (QEC) took place on the 4th to 5th December 2018 at Nashera Hotel in Dodoma, Tanzania, organised by the Tanzania national coalition – TENMET. The conference brought together over 100 diverse stakeholders in education working at different levels in Tanzania to discuss issues on Accountability in education and importantly how Tanzania as a developing country can promote education for self-reliance.

The theme for this year’s conference embedded on “Collective and Quality Education for Self Reliance”. It reflected the Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) 2017 and 2018 which stressed on ensuring accountability for SGD4 and active citizen participation with a particular emphasis on bringing attention to Tanzania Government and the community at large on the need to develop and adopt clear strategies on implementation of SDG4 especially on delivery of free, quality and inclusive public education.

The conference highlighted on the need to strengthen a competency-based learning approach in schools and within the curriculum and training as the appropriate model that focuses on developing pupils’ skills and talents, which eventually enable them to perform various tasks to a certain expected standard. This approach allows a teacher to foretell students the intended outcome of the competency to be developed and mastered. This was echoed by the Deputy Minister of President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) Hon. Josephat Kandege who officiated the conference. The Minister emphasised that the competency-based approach allows students to advance based on their ability to master a skill or competency at their own pace regardless of environment.

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Credit: Tanzania coalition (TENMET): “Deputy Minister from the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), Hon. Josephat Kandege giving an opening speech during the QEC.”

This method is tailored to meet different learning abilities and can lead to more efficient student outcomes. The Minister concluded by underlining the government initiatives that indeed have started incorporating the this, which includes continuous teachers’ professional development and curriculum development that cater for the competency-based approach.

The conference is one of (TENMET) Tanzanian coalition’s initiatives, aimed at bringing together various ministries and stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Presidents Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), representatives from the Tanzania Teachers’ Union, TEN/MET members, researchers, experts, teachers, educators, health promoters, community activists, and parents and students from universities to discuss and plan together on critical issues that would improve the quality of education in the country. TENMET intends to carry on with the deliberations of the conference and monitor their collective implementation.

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Credit: Tanzania coalition (TENMET): “Group photo of official guests and organizers of the 10th QEC”

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The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a civil society movement that aims to end exclusion in education. Education is a basic human right, and our mission is to make sure that governments act now to deliver the right of everyone to a free, quality, public education.