Education and Health
From The Report: Tanzania 2018
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As Tanzania seeks middle-income status, strengthening the education system has become a high priority. The past 20 years have seen substantial progress in improving access to education and enrolment rates. In 2015 the government abolished fees for public secondary schools, which led to a surge in enrolment, while service provision by the private sector has also expanded significantly. International partners and private contractors are playing an important role in supporting universal education, particularly with regards to raising educational quality. Although Tanzania’s education targets are still a way off, efforts to progress towards them are well under way. Tanzania is gearing up for an overhaul of its health care sector that could prove transformational by ensuring universal insurance coverage and greatly broadening the opportunities for outside service providers. The past decade-and-a-half has seen considerable successes in public health, with major communicable diseases brought under control and steady rises in expenditure. Primary care has also grown, bringing the system closer to citizens. However, gaps remain and provision has lagged behind the changing demographics of an urbanising country and an increasingly dynamic economy. The government’s latest strategy looks to address these shortcomings and build a more efficient system that focuses resources on those in greatest need. This chapter contains interviews with Sulaiman Shahabuddin, Regional CEO, Aga Khan Health Services, East Africa; and Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director for Africa, World Health Organisation.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Smart adaptations: The introduction of free secondary education has boosted enrolment rates, while the private sector is also set to expand
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As Tanzania seeks middle-income status, strengthening the education system has become a high priority. The past 20 years have seen substantial progress in improving access to education and enrolment rates. Service provision by the private sector has also expanded significantly, with international schools becoming more popular. In 2015 the government abolished fees for public secondary schools, which led to a surge in enrolment. International partners have been actively involved in furthering…

Analysis

Learned networking: Knowledge-sharing partnerships and vocational training programmes provide new opportunities for youths
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While many countries have overlooked vocational education to focus on schools and universities, Tanzania has had a thriving vocational segment for decades. Indeed, it has proved more responsive to the needs of an evolving society and a growing market than much of the education sector, and has taken a lead in involving foreign and private sector partners, a model that is likely to be expanded in the coming years. Key Contributor One of the main vocational training institutions in the country…

Overview

Refocused resources: Access to services rises as state programmes improve coverage
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Tanzania is gearing up for an overhaul of its health care sector that could prove transformational by ensuring universal insurance coverage and greatly broadening the opportunities for outside service providers. The past decade-and-a-half has seen considerable successes in public health, with major communicable diseases brought under control and steady rises in expenditure. Primary care has also grown, bringing the system closer to citizens. However, gaps remain and provision has lagged behind…

Interview

Care for all: Sulaiman Shahabuddin, Regional CEO, Aga Khan Health Services, East Africa, on expanding access to care
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Interview:Sulaiman Shahabuddin, Regional CEO, Aga Khan Health Services, East Africa What is being done to improve the enforcement of health care standards for private facilities? SULAIMAN SHAHABUDDIN: The Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MoH) is the agency responsible for the enforcement of standards, both in the public and private sectors. The MoH does this through various mechanisms, such as spot checks and registration requirements. Private sector…

Interview

Healthy progress: Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director for Africa, World Health Organisation, on sub-Saharan Africa’s key health issues
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Interview:Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director for Africa, World Health Organisation How has access to health care improved over the last decade in sub-Saharan Africa? MATSHIDISO MOETI: Health care access includes the availability of health infrastructure, which is commonly measured by bed density, health facility density and the population living within a 5-km radius. Access also comprises service utilisation, which is assessed using inpatient admission rates and per capita outpatient…