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A Human Rights Watch report shows that over 1.5 million Tanzanian adolescents are not in school, confirming the urgent need for the government to keep its promise to make secondary education free for all.

More than 40 percent of Tanzania’s adolescents do not attend quality lower-secondary education. This is the case despite the government’s decision to make lower-secondary education free. This statistic is contained in the latest Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, ‘I Had a Dream to Finish School’: Barriers to Secondary Education in Tanzania’.

The report, released on 14 February, examines obstacles, including some rooted in outmoded government policies, that prevent more than 1.5 million adolescents from attending secondary school and cause many students to drop out because of poor quality education.

For Alphonso Mukoba, President of the Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU), and Education International (EI) affiliate, says the major issue is poverty.

"There are a lot of inequalities in Tanzania. Many people are too poor to send their children to school. Primary and secondary education is free but it still represents a cost because parents have to pay for the uniform, books," he said. "There are too many families who cannot afford to send the kids to school.  Child labour is also an issue especially in mining areas where children have to work and drop out school. Many girls stay at home to take care of the house and look after the relatives."

Obstacles

The obstacles include a lack of secondary schools in rural areas, an exam that limits access to secondary school, and a discriminatory government policy to expel pregnant or married girls.

“Tanzania’s abolition of secondary school fees and contributions has been a huge step towards improving access to secondary education,” said Elin Martínez, children’s rights researcher at HRW and author of the report. “But the government should do more to address the crowded classrooms, discrimination, and abuse that undermine many adolescents’ education.”

Poor resources

Despite the government’s comprehensive inclusive education plan, teachers and schools are often insufficiently equipped or resourced to accommodate children with various types of disabilities, rendering quality secondary education still inaccessible for most adolescents with disabilities.

Secondary education free for all

Education has been a priority for successive Tanzanian governments since independence in 1961, with 22 percent of the 2016-2017 budget allocated for education. Since 2005, the government has taken steps to increase access to secondary education, including a commitment to build secondary schools in every administrative ward.

Tanzania’s public authorities are also implementing a new policy making secondary education free for all and have removed fees required to attend school. This policy also fulfils Tanzania’s commitment to the new Sustainable Development Goal 4 and the target to ensure that every child “completes free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education”.