A 7 region study in 2014 found over 70% of children entering primary school did not speak the language of instruction (Kiswahili) at home. It also found marked differences in literacy and numeracy learning outcomes according to levels of access to Kiswahili before entering school. Data from 2016 showed that just 47% of children were enrolled in pre-primary education at the right age, with long distances to the nearest provision in many areas.
In 2015 the Tanzania Institute of Education and EQUIP-Tanzania developed a 12-week, community-run, cost-effective, School Readiness Programme (SRP) and piloted it in 1,000 generally remote locations, enrolling 50,000 pupils marginalised by distance to existing provision. The programme was developed from a competency framework and involves learning through play, singing and storytelling connected to 12 different storybooks, some addressing sustainable development themes.
Pilot results from learning outcomes assessment using the Save the Children IDELA tool indicated that the innovative 12-week School Readiness approach prepared learners just as well as the 12 month traditional pre-primary education. The assessment showed that across all domains of learning (motor skills, emergent literacy, emergent numeracy, and social emotional) pupils from SRP centres scored on average 59% , against 58% for pupils who had completed formal pre-primary and just 46% for pupils without any pre-primary education.
In 2016, the pilot was expanded to 2,792 centres which enrolled 160,000 hard-to-reach children. A more statistically representative learning assessment is currently underway with results expected later in 2017.
This paper will examine the lessons learnt from two years of SRP implementation and consider how this is influencing national approaches to pre-primary and helping to focus attention in Tanzania on the importance of quality and inclusive pre-primary provision for all.
