Multi-Tiered Education Systems: A case study on the interplay between policy and programming in Tanzania

• In Event: Challenges and opportunities for education in Africa

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to discuss the dynamics of policy development and implementation in Tanzania’s decentralized education system, in which policy direction comes from the national level and execution is managed in the regions. We will explore expectations and reality in education policy implementation, how lessons learned flow from on-the-ground practitioners to inform policymakers in the capital, and how to improve communication from the center to the periphery and back.

The paper uses qualitative survey data collected from focus groups and semi-structured interviews with policymakers, government managers, teachers, civil society organizations, and community members. A team of researchers from Chemonics International is hosting five focus group discussions in each of three regions in Tanzania. The five focus groups include government officials at the regional, district, ward, and school levels (including teachers), as well as civil society and community representatives. Facilitated discussions led by Tanzanian education policy experts focus on key questions impacting education quality improvement, including factors in and outside of the classroom and centered around the 5Ts of reading instruction (tongue, text, time, test, and teaching technique).

With the launch of its Big Results Now initiative, Tanzania is looking to identify mechanisms to boost quality inside the classroom, a problem that can be exacerbated by lack of effective coordination between national policymakers and decentralized managers of service delivery. This paper will present suggestions for improving the effectiveness of decentralized service delivery through improved formal and informal feedback loops to better inform and implement policy.

Authors

• Jeremy Simon, Chemonics International

• Sarah Tucker Strader, Chemonics International

• Emet Mohr, Chemonics International