By Our Correspondent, Arusha
ARUSHA: Empowering teachers with digital skills is critical to transforming Tanzania’s education system and preparing learners for a technology-driven future, Head of the Education Sector at the UNESCO Dar es Salaam Office, Dr Faith Shayo, has said.
Dr Shayo made the remarks in Arusha while officially opening a four-day ICT training programme for government secondary school teachers from Arusha City and Arusha District.
The training, taking place at Gold Crest Hotel from September 1 to 4, 2026, is being implemented by UNESCO in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) and the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) under the ICT Transforming Education in Africa – Phase III Project, supported through the Korean Funds-in-Trust (KFIT).
The programme is designed to strengthen teachers’ ability to integrate ICT effectively into teaching, learning and assessment, while equipping them with practical skills in digital content development and the use of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The training is aligned with Tanzania’s ICT Competency Standards for Teachers in Tanzania 2025 (ICT-CSTT), which provide a national framework for strengthening teachers’ knowledge, skills and competencies in the effective integration of ICT into teaching and learning.
Dr Shayo said teachers were at the heart of education transformation because they were responsible for translating innovations and technological developments into meaningful classroom experiences for learners.
She urged the participating teachers to make full use of the training and share the knowledge and skills acquired with their fellow teachers after returning to their respective schools.
“We expect you to share what you learn here with your fellow teachers so that they can also keep pace with these transformations in education,” she said.
Dr Shayo emphasised that digital transformation in education should go beyond providing access to technology, stressing the importance of ensuring that teachers have the confidence, competence and capacity to use digital tools effectively to improve learning.
She said technology should be used to enhance the quality of teaching and learning, expand access to knowledge and equip learners with relevant skills for the 21st century.
She also highlighted the importance of the cascade training approach, whereby teachers who receive specialised training share their knowledge and skills with colleagues in their respective schools.
According to Dr Shayo, the approach is important in expanding the number of digitally competent educators and ensuring that the benefits of investment in teacher training reach more schools and learners.
The training covers key areas of the ICT Competency Standards for Teachers in Tanzania, including ICT integration in teaching and assessment, digital learning platforms, Open Educational Resources (OER), online information-search skills, digital content development, curriculum implementation and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education.
Participants are also being introduced to interactive teaching approaches, management of school records and information, and the production of audio-visual educational content.
The programme reflects UNESCO’s broader commitment to strengthening teachers’ digital competencies as a foundation for effective technology integration in education. It also complements Tanzania’s national efforts to build a digitally capable teaching workforce.
The initiative supports the Sixth Phase Government’s efforts to strengthen the use of ICT in education and develop a skilled, knowledgeable and technologically capable workforce.
It further contributes to the aspirations of the Tanzania Development Vision 2050, which places human capital development, science, technology, innovation and digital capabilities at the centre of Tanzania’s long-term transformation.
By strengthening teachers’ digital competencies, the programme is contributing to national efforts to improve the quality of education, advance digital transformation and prepare teachers and learners for an increasingly technology-driven society and economy.
The teachers are expected to return to their respective schools as digital learning champions, sharing the knowledge and skills acquired with their colleagues and supporting the effective use of technology in classroom practice.
Through this approach, UNESCO and its partners are supporting the development of a stronger community of digitally competent educators capable of using technology, developing relevant learning resources and helping prepare the next generation of Tanzanians for a rapidly changing world.
The four-day training concludes on September 4, 2026.
#UNESCO #DrFaithShayo #Education #ICT #DigitalTransformation #DigitalEducation #ICTCSTT #Teachers #Arusha #Tanzania #AIinEducation #KFIT #Vision2050
Post A Comment: