Improving the quality of teaching and learning through tech-enhanced Teacher Professional Development at scale: Lessons from Tanzania’s MEWAKA initiative.

• In Event: Qualified Teaching Workforce - Opportunities and Challenges for Applying Edtech Solutions in Low-resource Settings

Proposal

MEWAKA (Mafunzo Endelevu kwa Walimu Kazini, or Teachers’ Continuous Professional Development or TCPD) is an innovative, technology-supported, programme currently being implemented nationwide by the Government of Tanzania for teachers of preschool through secondary levels. Designed to operationalize the National Framework for TCPD (⇡Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, 2020), MEWAKA adopted a decentralised approach, where teacher learning is embedded in schools and clusters, primarily through semi-structured Communities of Learning (CoLs). The overarching aim of MEWAKA is to foster a collaborative, reflective and improvement-oriented school culture, ultimately enhancing student learning outcomes. Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) has developed a Learning Management System (LMS) specifically for MEWAKA, with support from local experts at the College of ICT, University of Dar es Salaam. The Swahili-language LMS, available via a mobile app and web browser, features multi-media modules designed for blended Communities of Learning, as well as self-learning modules and teacher discussion forums. The CoL modules aim to foster teachers’ digital skills alongside their pedagogical skills and content knowledge. As the program develops over time, intensive research is being done on the LMS user experiences as well as the implementation of Communities of Learning. Our research was co-developed and designed collaboratively between EdTech Hub, the Tanzania Institute of Education, and Aga Khan University with consultation of key stakeholders at the ministry level. In the first phase (2022-2023), the team explored the concerns, perspectives and experiences of the main stakeholders in MEWAKA, including teachers, peer facilitators, head teachers, and the other key players at school level, alongside the officials at other levels of the ecosystem: ward, district, region and national. The current, second phase of the work (January 2024-SeptemberMarch 2025) focuses on issues of equity, agency, and adaptation in scaling MEWAKA. In this presentation, we will share successes and challenges encountered in the development and use of the LMS and other technologies supporting teachers’ professional growth, with a particular focus on the challenges and successes of the program in remote, rural schools.

Authors

• Kristeen Chachage, Independent Consultant

• Fika Burton Mwakabungu, EdTech Hub