ENG.JOYCE BARAVUGA- SHULE ZIHAKIKISHE MAFUNZO YA TEHAMA YANAENDELEA

Mratibu wa Mafunzo ya Kidijitali kutoka Ofisi ya Waziri Mkuu – Tawala za Mikoa na Serikali za Mitaa (TAMISEMI), Eng. Joyce Baravuga, amesema mafanikio ya Mradi wa Kuziba Pengo la Kidijitali: Kuhakikisha Elimu ya Ujuzi wa Kidijitali Inayozingatia Usawa wa Kijinsia kwa Wanawake na Wasichana (Closing the Digital Divide: Ensuring Gender-Transformative Digital Skills Education for Women and Girls) yatategemea kwa kiasi kikubwa utayari wa shule kuendeleza mafunzo na shughuli za Klabu za TEHAMA (ICT Clubs) baada ya kumalizika kwa Kambi ya Mafunzo (Boot Camp).

Eng. Baravuga amewapongeza wakuu wa shule zilizochaguliwa kushiriki katika programu hiyo, akisema utayari na uthubutu wa shule ni miongoni mwa vigezo vilivyozingatiwa katika uteuzi.

Amesema shule hizo zinapaswa kuwa wadau muhimu wa programu hiyo kwa kuhakikisha maarifa na ujuzi unaopatikana kupitia mafunzo unaendelea kutumika shuleni na kuwafikia wanafunzi wengine.

Amewataka walimu na wakuu wa shule kuhakikisha Klabu za TEHAMA zinaendelea baada ya wanafunzi kurejea shuleni, ili kuwapa wasichana nafasi ya kuendelea kujifunza, kufanya mazoezi na kuendeleza ubunifu wao katika teknolojia.

Aidha, amewataka walimu, hususan wanaohusika na TEHAMA, kushiriki kikamilifu katika mafunzo hayo na kuhakikisha maarifa yanayopatikana hayabaki kwa wanafunzi walioshiriki pekee, bali yanawafikia wanafunzi wengine shuleni.

Eng. Baravuga pia amesisitiza umuhimu wa kukusanya taarifa za utekelezaji wa shughuli za mafunzo kila siku, akisema taarifa hizo zitasaidia kupima mafanikio ya programu, kubaini changamoto na mapungufu, pamoja na kuweka msingi wa kuboresha utekelezaji katika hatua zijazo.

Amesema ukusanyaji wa taarifa kwa wakati utasaidia pia kutambua maeneo yanayohitaji kupewa msukumo zaidi na kuhakikisha malengo ya programu yanafikiwa.

Vilevile, amesisitiza umuhimu wa wanafunzi kuchaguliwa kwa kuzingatia vigezo vilivyowekwa bila upendeleo, ili kuhakikisha fursa zinazotolewa kupitia programu hiyo zinawafikia walengwa kwa usawa.

Eng. Baravuga amesema ushiriki wa shule, walimu na viongozi wa shule ni muhimu katika kuhakikisha Kambi ya Mafunzo haibaki kuwa tukio la muda mfupi, bali inakuwa mwanzo wa kujenga mazingira endelevu ya kujifunza, kutumia na kubuni kupitia TEHAMA miongoni mwa wanafunzi.

DR.FAITH SHAYO : LER US BUILD GIRLS INTEREST IN ICT

MOROGORO. Dr. Faith Shayo has called for greater efforts to build girls’ interest, confidence and enthusiasm in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), saying that creating interest is an important first step towards encouraging more girls to participate in technology.

Speaking during preparations for the ICT Boot Camp in Morogoro, Dr. Shayo said the programme is not primarily about providing girls with digital devices, but about helping them develop an interest in technology and understand its potential to improve their lives and communities.

She said access to devices remains important, but the immediate priority is to give girls the opportunity to learn, explore technology and develop the confidence to use it creatively.

“We want to build girls’ interest and enthusiasm in ICT. We want them to see that they can use technology to develop solutions to challenges in their communities,” she said.

Dr. Shayo said a key outcome of the programme is the establishment and strengthening of ICT Clubs in participating schools, providing girls with a space where they can continue learning, practising their skills and developing innovative ideas beyond the Boot Camp.

The programme is expected to reach 500 girls, with activities continuing after the Boot Camp. The girls will return to their schools and continue participating in ICT Club activities under the guidance of teachers and school leaders.

She said experts will continue visiting the schools to follow up on the progress of the clubs, while Project Coordinator Mr. Ginarious Ernest will also visit selected schools as part of the follow-up process.

Dr. Shayo said the practical nature of the Boot Camp is intended to help girls move beyond simply learning about technology and begin exploring how ICT can be used to address real challenges in their communities.

The Boot Camp is scheduled to officially begin tomorrow at Kilakala Secondary School in Morogoro, bringing together girls from 10 schools as part of the UNESCO-BNU project, “Closing the Digital Divide: Ensuring Gender-Transformative Digital Skills Education for Women and Girls.”

UNESCO PUTS GIRLS AT THE HEART OF TANZANIA’S DIGITAL FUTURE

The room comes alive as the girls settle into their groups.

Around the tables, conversations begin.

One idea leads to another as the students share their views, listen to their colleagues and work together to understand the challenges they have been given.

As part of the UNESCO-BNU project, this is learning by participation.

The girls are not sitting back and waiting for answers.

They are thinking for themselves, exchanging ideas and challenging one another as they work towards a common solution.

You can see the teamwork taking shape.

Some students speak. Others listen carefully. Ideas are added, discussed and refined.

What looks like a simple classroom discussion is becoming something much bigger—a practical exercise in critical thinking, collaboration and confidence.

And gradually, each group begins to shape its ideas into something they can share.

The discussions continue, the ideas become clearer, and the girls prepare for the next moment.

It is time to stand up and let the whole class hear what they have created together.

NECTA: WATAHINIWA MILIONI 1.16 KUFANYA MTIHANI WA DARASA LA SABA

Baraza la Mitihani la Tanzania (NECTA) limetangaza kuwa Mtihani wa Kumaliza Elimu ya Msingi (PSLE) kwa mwaka 2026 utafanyika Septemba 9 na 10, ukihusisha watahiniwa 1,168,649 kutoka shule 20,019 nchini.

Katibu Mtendaji wa NECTA, Prof. Said A. Mohamed, amesema kati ya watahiniwa hao, wavulana ni 531,467 sawa na asilimia 45, huku wasichana wakiwa 637,182 sawa na asilimia 55.


Amesema watahiniwa 1,081,204 sawa na asilimia 93 watafanya mtihani kwa Kiswahili, huku 87,445 sawa na asilimia saba wakifanya kwa lugha ya Kiingereza.


Kwa mujibu wa Prof. Mohamed, watahiniwa wenye mahitaji maalumu 4,867 pia wamesajiliwa kufanya mtihani huo. Kati yao, 82 ni wasioona, 1,591 wenye uoni hafifu, 999 wenye uziwi, 576 wenye ulemavu wa akili na 1,619 wenye ulemavu wa viungo.


Amesema masomo yatakayotahiniwa ni Kiswahili, English Language, Sayansi na Teknolojia, Hisabati, Maarifa ya Jamii na Stadi za Kazi, pamoja na Uraia na Maadili.


Prof. Mohamed amesema mtihani huo ni wa mwisho kufanyika kwa kutumia mtaala wa sasa, huku ukilenga kupima maarifa na ujuzi walioupata wanafunzi katika miaka saba ya elimu ya msingi na kutumika katika mchakato wa uchaguzi wa wanafunzi wanaojiunga na elimu ya sekondari.


Amesema maandalizi yote ya mtihani huo yamekamilika, yakiwemo usambazaji wa karatasi za mitihani na nyaraka muhimu katika halmashauri zote nchini, mafunzo kwa wasimamizi pamoja na kuweka mikakati ya kuhakikisha usalama wa vituo vya mitihani.


Amewataka wasimamizi wa mitihani kutekeleza majukumu yao kwa uadilifu na kuzingatia kanuni za mitihani, huku wakihakikisha watahiniwa wote wanapata fursa ya kufanya mtihani kwa muda uliopangwa.


Kwa watahiniwa wenye mahitaji maalumu, amesema NECTA imeweka utaratibu wa kuwapatia maandishi ya nukta nundu kwa wasioona, maandishi yaliyokuzwa kwa wenye uoni hafifu na muda wa ziada wa dakika 20 kwa kila saa katika somo la Hisabati na dakika 10 kwa kila saa kwa masomo mengine.


Aidha, amewataka watahiniwa kuepuka vitendo vya udanganyifu, akisisitiza kuwa matokeo ya mwanafunzi atakayebainika kufanya udanganyifu yatafutwa kwa mujibu wa kanuni.


Amewataka wamiliki na wakuu wa shule kutokuingilia majukumu ya wasimamizi wakati wa mtihani, akionya kuwa NECTA inaweza kufuta kituo cha mtihani endapo itabaini uwepo wake unahatarisha usalama wa mtihani.


Pia ameitaka jamii kutoa ushirikiano kwa kuhakikisha mitihani inafanyika kwa amani na utulivu, ikiwemo kuheshimu maeneo ya mitihani na kuepuka kuingia shuleni wakati wa uendeshaji wa mtihani.


NECTA imetoa wito kwa wananchi kutoa taarifa za vitendo vya udanganyifu kupitia namba 0759 360 000 au barua pepe esnecta@necta.go.tz.


Mtihani huo utafanyika Jumatano, Septemba 9, na Alhamisi, Septemba 10, 2026.

UNESCO PUTS GIRLS AT THE HEART OF TANZANIA’S DIGITAL FUTURE

DODOMA, September 8, 2026: 

Efforts to prepare Tanzanian girls for the rapidly expanding digital economy are taking a new direction, with UNESCO calling for gender to be placed at the centre of digital skills education to ensure that girls are not left behind in the country’s digital transformation.

The call comes as Tanzania, through collaboration with UNESCO and Beijing Normal University (BNU), implements the “Closing the Digital Divide: Ensuring Gender-Transformative Digital Skills Education for Women and Girls” project, an initiative aimed at strengthening digital skills while addressing barriers that continue to limit girls’ participation in technology and innovation.

Gender specialist Dr Rosemarie N. Mwaipopo said digitalisation was no longer simply a matter of access to computers or the internet, but an increasingly important pathway to education, employment, innovation and wider socio-economic development.

She said the country’s digital transformation would have greater impact if girls were given deliberate opportunities to acquire digital skills, participate in innovation and develop the confidence needed to pursue technology-related education and careers.

“Digitalisation is a major influence in societal development, enhancing access to opportunities,” Dr Mwaipopo said, while emphasising the need to confront the persistent gender gap in digital participation.

She questioned why the gap continued to exist globally and in Tanzania despite various innovations, programmes and interventions designed to expand access to technology and digital skills.

According to her, the challenge was not only about whether technology was available, but also about who had the skills, confidence, opportunity and enabling environment to use that technology and turn it into meaningful solutions.

She said this was where the UNESCO-BNU project could make an important contribution by introducing a gender perspective into digital skills education.

CREATING A CRITICAL MASS OF GIRLS IN ICT

Dr Mwaipopo said the project would deliberately select female students to participate in ICT innovation training as part of an affirmative action approach aimed at creating a critical mass of girls with digital knowledge and skills.

She said increasing the number of girls exposed to technology and innovation would help challenge the long-standing perception that ICT and STEM-related fields were predominantly for boys.

The approach, she explained, was intended to create more girls who could confidently engage with technology, develop innovations and eventually pursue careers in the digital sector.

“This is not simply about teaching girls how to use technology. It is about creating opportunities for them to become knowledgeable, confident and active participants in the digital future,” she said.

She said a growing pool of digitally skilled girls could also provide role models for younger generations and contribute to changing community perceptions about the role of women in technology.

CHANGING THE WAY GIRLS LEARN

Dr Mwaipopo said teachers would be equally important in achieving this transformation.

She called for teachers to be equipped with gender-transformative pedagogy, enabling them to recognise and challenge attitudes, practices and social norms that may discourage girls from participating fully in ICT and STEM education.

She said teachers needed to create classrooms where girls felt confident to experiment, ask questions, solve problems and develop technological innovations.

The objective, she said, was to move beyond simply providing equal access to boys and girls towards creating learning environments capable of transforming the conditions that have historically limited girls’ participation.

She said teachers and students would also need greater awareness of gender equality, gender barriers, enabling factors and intersectionality to understand why girls may experience digital education differently depending on their social and economic circumstances.

INNOVATION THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE

Dr Mwaipopo further challenged students to think about gender when developing ICT solutions.
She said female students should be equipped to apply a gender lens in ICT processes and innovation, ensuring that digital products and solutions were accessible, sensitive to different needs and inclusive.

She explained that successful digital innovation should not only answer the question of whether a technology works, but also consider who can access it, who can use it and who ultimately benefits from it.

Such an approach, she said, would enable girls to see technology as more than computers and coding, but as a powerful tool for addressing real challenges facing families, communities and the country.

BUILDING TANZANIA’S DIGITAL GENERATION

The gender-transformative approach is being implemented alongside efforts to establish and strengthen ICT Clubs in public schools, providing girls with practical opportunities to develop digital skills, participate in innovation and explore technology-related career pathways.

The broader UNESCO-BNU initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, reflecting the importance of partnerships in strengthening digital education and expanding opportunities for women and girls.

Through the project, teachers and female students are expected to gain skills and approaches that can contribute to more inclusive digital learning environments.

For Tanzania, the initiative comes at a time when digital skills are increasingly becoming essential for education, employment, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Its significance therefore extends beyond the classroom.

By deliberately investing in girls’ digital skills today, the country is building a generation capable of participating in and contributing to tomorrow’s technology-driven economy.

The ultimate ambition is to ensure that Tanzanian girls are not merely users of technology, but creators, innovators, entrepreneurs and future leaders in the digital economy.

And by ensuring that no girl is excluded from the digital transformation, Tanzania can strengthen its human capital and build a more inclusive digital future in which every girl has an opportunity to learn, innovate and shape the country’s development.