Education is a key component of the Government of Tanzania’s development agenda. The country has made significant gains in access and equity in primary education, with girls’ enrollment close to parity with boys’ at all primary education levels. Despite these successes, many challenges persist related to retention, completion, and transition to secondary education, as well as quality of education, actual learning outcomes, and the relevance of skills that graduates bring to the economy. Many children enrolled in school drop out before completing primary education, especially girls.
Only 8% of standard two pupils were able to read well
Furthermore, the 2013 national early grade reading assessment found that only 8% of standard two pupils were able to read with grade-level comprehension. At higher levels of the education system, the situation is even worse: The net enrollment rate for lower secondary education is 33%, and for upper secondary education only 3%.
ProjeKt Inspire as a career hightlighter for young Tanzanians
Raymond C. Maro, the founder of ProjeKt Inspire and the co-founders of ProjeKt Inspire say that this story is about wanting to change the education landscape in Tanzania. Raymond C. Maro is a young and driven Tanzanian man who is very passionate about education and creating career awareness, while highlighting career paths to young Tanzanians. He and his co-founders all went through the Tanzanian education system themselves, so they know where the weak points are and what they have to prioritize if they really want to provide support.
The program helps students choose the best courses in universities, while also allowing them to get involved in extracurricular activities that arm them with the knowledge and skills needed in the global market. ProjeKt Inspire aims to improve the quality of education by organizing fairs that enhance the learning environment.
"We are a social enterprise that focuses on career guidance and inspiration for young adults and kids, with a niche in STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). For the past three years, we have been discovering talents in STEM and nurturing them through one-on-one mentorship, job shadowing, and Boot camps." Raymond C. Maro
Factory tours and chemistry lectures
At the same time, the organization promotes key policy objectives regarding education and employment ranging from lifelong learning to social equity at governmental bodies. Sika Tanzania recently organized the first factory tour with children from different schools.
It is an amazing activity, children love it, and the aim is to schedule one every six weeks. Furthermore, Sika staff are giving lectures at the secondary school and university level, and give chemistry lectures once a month.
The major goal is to unlock young people’s potential by actively involving them in making informed career decisions and career consultancy. At the same time, ProjeKt Inspire is running community outreaches based on different disciplines.
After all, young people need inspiration and motivation to follow their own individual path, and they learn that education is a key part in that. Most importantly, they learn that education is not only worthwhile, but can also be tremendous fun.
Find out more
Get more information about ProjeKt Inspire.
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