The 2005 Secondary School Curriculum Reforms in Tanzania: Disjunction between Policy and Practice in its Implementation

Abstract

The growing need for education system to produce school leavers with capabilities in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes useful for solving social and economic challenges has prompted education reforms in Tanzania. Recent education reform involved the introduction of competence-based curriculum in secondary schools. This paper reviewed recent research on the implementation of competence-based curriculum reforms in Tanzania and compare the findings with the original policy intentions to establish the congruence between the two. The paper has established that classroom teaching, learning and assessment in most secondary schools has remained traditional contrary to the competence-based curriculum demands. Lack of comprehensive orientation to the reformed curriculum for the teachers and poorly resourced learning environment are among many drawbacks to the implementation of the reformed curriculum.

Keywords: Competence, Competence-based curriculum, Curriculum implementation.