The Girls' Education Challenge (GEC) had two projects in Tanzania, which aimed to improve learning opportunities and outcomes for over 95,000 of the country's marginalised girls. Access to good quality education will give these girls the chance of a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.
The GEC was launched in 2012 and is the largest donor-funded global girls' education programme. Through their strong focus on improving literacy, numeracy and life skills, GEC projects are supporting girls to seek out and secure their full potential.
GEC projects are implementing a diverse range of interventions in a variety of different contexts. They are financing access to education, providing materials for learning and creating safe spaces to learn. They are working with governments, communities and schools to raise standards and to build support for girls' education. They are training and mentoring teachers and governors to improve the quality of teaching and the effectiveness of school governance. And they are working directly with girls to raise their aspirations and achievements, and enable them to transition from primary education to secondary education, or technical or vocational education and training or employment.
The GEC implements a rigorous approach to monitoring and evaluation. All projects must demonstrate the additional impact they are making on girls' learning outcomes, using robust statistical approaches. This is generating a substantial source of qualitative and quantitative evidence on successful strategies for girls to learn and thrive at school.
"Tanzania offers free basic education to all. However, there are costs associated with going to school that families often cannot afford."
Tanzania offers free basic education to all, however there are costs associated with going to school that families often cannot afford. Significant regional differences exist in school attendance and classes are large, often with between 100-120 students. The disparity between girls and boys is particularly evident at secondary level. Although enrolment is similar for girls and boys, retention falls substantially for girls, with poverty being the most significant cause. Early marriage, pregnancy and traditional gender roles are also ranked as among the top causes for drop outs.
A lack of trained teachers and policies on the language of instruction (whereby teachers are teaching and students are learning in their second language) also affect student learning. Overall transition levels to secondary school are very low. The banning of the re-entry of pregnant girls into the formal education system by the Tanzanian Government presents challenges to the overall education of girls with increased drop out of adolescent girls.
Girls Learn, Succeed and Lead - implementation completed in January 2022
Camfed Tanzania
This project aimed to support marginalised girls in peri-urban Tanzania. It aimed to increase school attendance and improve educational results by offering financial assistance, delivering training for teachers and mentors, and offering self-study guides. It also offered life skills training to boost girls' self-confidence and awareness of their human rights.
The Virtuous Cycle of Girls' Education - implementation completed in January 2022
Camfed International
This is a multi-country project operating in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania. It delivered self-study guides and a life skills curriculum to girls. It also initiated a Learner Guide Programme where young women graduates mentored individual girls and promoted girls' education more widely.