B Ed.

(ECE) and other new programmes in pipeline at SUZA

The State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) through its School of Education (SoE) plans to introduce a new
programme of Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education B ED (ECE) during the forthcoming academic
year (2017/2018) commencing in October, 2017.

The curriculum document which provides the justification to launch this programme at SUZA was presented in
a stakeholders meeting held at Vuga Campus on Saturday 6th May, 2017. The meeting involved key educational
stakeholders, Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT), Zanzibar, UNICEF representative,
Madrasa Early Childhood Programme-Zanzibar (MECP-Z) representatives, community members, employers,
professionals, ECE practitioners, SUZA academics, students taking Diploma in ECE and the general public and
private sectors all being associates of education.

The B Ed. ECE has been carefully designed to prepare exemplary teachers and teaching professionals for
Tanzania schools and beyond. The curriculum is benchmarked for quality purposes and aligned with curriculum
standards.

The introduction of this programme is in line with the Zanzibar Education Policy (ZEP) (2006) which
recognizes the importance of having qualified teachers at all levels as a requisite towards quality education
provision in various secondary and primary schools of Zanzibar. The establishment of ECE programme at
SUZA is therefore, an implementation part of this policy which calls for the establishment of education
programmes in Zanzibar. SUZA through its School of Education did take affirmative actions to make early
childhood education accessible to children with special needs by including courses that will equip teachers with
these skills.

Apart from Zanzibar Education Policy of 2006, there are so many other national and international policies and
legislative documents that support the development of Early Childhood Education, including but not limited to
Education Act of 1982, the Constitution of Zanzibar, and that of the United Republic of Tanzania(URT),
Zanzibar Research Agenda 2015-2020, Zanzibar Youth Employment Action Plan (2007), Early Childhood Care
and Development in Zanzibar Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (ZSGRP) well-known as
MKUZA, Zanzibar Children Act, 2011, Zanzibar Social Protection Policy (2013), Integrated Early Childhood
Development Policy (UNICEF), Inclusive and Learner Friendly Education Policy, Zanzibar (2013), the
National Child Development Policy (1996), the National Higher Education Policy (1999), Policy Framework of
the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 and Tanzania Education & Training Policy (2014). Others are 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), The Declaration on Education Delivery (2003), ILO
Policy Guidelines on the promotion of decent work for Early Childhood Education Personnel and Indigenous
Early Childhood Care and Education (IECCE) Curriculum, Framework for Africa.

Dr. Maryam Jaffar Ismail, the Dean of the School of Education of the State University of Zanzibar earlier
informed that once the feedback from stakeholders were consolidated from the validation workshops, the
curriculum document will be submitted to various university committees within the university, and then will be
submitted to Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) for accreditation and approval.

In her welcoming speech, the Dean stated that one of the roles of the School of Education is to serve as a role
model in Zanzibar by demonstrating to others teacher training institutions what you can achieve with a
evidence-based and well-resourced teacher education programs, what you can obtain when you heavily invest
in preparing teachers well, and what result you can get if you make preparing high quality teachers a central
mission of your university.
Also the guest of honour in this event, Mrs. Safia A. Rijaal, the Director of Pre-Primary and Primary Schools
from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Zanzibar reminded the School of Education of the
State University of Zanzibar to ensure that they are playing a leadership role in the conversation about how to
improve teacher education in Zanzibar.

The School of Education of the State University of Zanzibar has been making deliberate efforts to expand the
school by introducing new programmes that are in high demands in Zanzibar. The school plans to expand its
services to provide diverse courses and programmes which will cater for the national, regional and international
education needs. It strives to build a strong foundation of teachers professional development in order to
produce high quality teachers for Zanzibar schools and beyond. The quality of these teachers depends on the
relevancy and appropriateness of the programmes offered, quality assurance and the manner in which the
courses are delivered.

Other programmes to be introduced under SoE in the near future are Postgraduate Diploma in Teacher
Education (PGD Ted), Masters of Education in Teaching Kiswahili to Speakers of other Languages (M Ed.
TEKSOL), Master of Education in Language in Education (M Ed, LiE) and Masters of Education in Youth,
Gender and Development (M Ed. YoGD).

This is a great achievement for SUZA, School of Education (SoE) and Zanzibar. SUZA will continue to
develop educational programmes responsive to the needs of the educational sector, and the community of
Zanzibar and beyond.