Objective
To ensure high-level professional support and provide national academic leadership for the pre-primary, primary, secondary, special, adult and non-formal education and teacher education and training system so as to respond effectively to changing needs and conditions in the provision of Basic Education.
This Office is mandated to:-
To be the think tank for the Education Sector on the pre-primary, primary, secondary, special, adult and non-formal education and teacher education and training subsectors issues;
To initiate, design and develop the pre-primary, primary, secondary, special, adult and non-formal education and teacher education and training subsectors policies and frameworks, including qualifications and assessment frameworks for those levels;
To maintain positive community relations with different stakeholders in the development of the pre-primary, primary, secondary, special, adult and non-formal and teacher education and training subsectors;
To coordinate intergovernmental relations within the subsector for quality development of the pre-primary, primary, secondary, special, adult and non-formal and teacher education and training;
To oversee and issue standards and guidelines on all matters related to curriculum development and learning assessments;
To oversee compliance with all laws, regulations and standards in the provision of pre-primary, primary, secondary, special, adult and non-formal and teacher education and training;
To evaluate credentials of applicants for teacher’s certificate, to verify that the certification of teachers is in accordance with law and established standards;
To prescribe minimum standards for educators who may be engaged from time to time to teach in schools or centres;
To verify that school sites and school building plans are in accordance with law and standards;
To accredit, register and deregister schools;
To formulate guidelines and standards for public private partnership in the provision of Basic Education;
To monitor and advise on the distribution and management of public school funds in accordance with law;
To exercise oversight over provision of libraries and library services in pre-primary, primary, secondary, special, adult and non-formal and teacher education and training centres, schools and institutions;
To issue common standards for school calendars and schedules and require all schools, government and non-government to adhere to such standards;
To regulate fees and contributions in respect of pre-primary, primary, secondary, special, adult and non-formal and teacher education and training;
To develop and implement a Student Unit Cost framework;
To prepare and recommend standard forms for the use of schools and centres providing pre-primary, primary, secondary, special and adult and non-formal education;
To prepare manuals for uniform operation, procedures and records for schools and centres;
To steer the process towards the attainment of universal secondary education by 2025;
To monitor performance and intervene to secure improvement in underperforming schools and teachers training colleges, including directing the owners to commission performance improvement services and use formal interventions in the most severe cases;
To facilitate innovative practices and to allow sustainable selection of educational methods;
To advice and counsel with pre-primary, primary, secondary, special, adult and non-formal and teacher education and training providers on all matters pertaining to education;
To execute or provide for the execution of all acts and policies as are approved;
To Support Tanzania Library Services Board in the promotion and establishment of libraries at schools and Colleges;
To recommend to the PO-RALG and other schools owners policies and steps designed to protect and preserve the school finances;
To prescribe procedures for evaluating instructional materials submitted by publishers and manufacturers in each adoption;
To issue Education Circulars to sanction decisions made by the Office of the Commissioner of Education in respect of pre-primary, primary, secondary, special, and adult and non-formal and teacher education;
To provide guide for talent development;
To develop, monitor, evaluate and review the implementation of regulations and guidelines on cross cutting issues; and
To provide inputs in developing and reviewing implementation of various policies on library services.
The Office will be led by a Commissioner for Education and will have the following Division and Unit:
Basic Education Division; and
Special Needs Education Unit.
