The Context
Tanzania has made significant progress in primary education, improving access, completion, and equity. This advancement is largely attributed to the Fee-Free Basic Education Policy (FBEP), which mandates compulsory education until the age of 15 (Room to Read, 2024). Primary school net enrollment rates have significantly increased from 84% in 2016 to 95.3% in 2020 (Tanzania, MoEST 2021). However, challenges remain in ensuring all children acquire basic skills. An estimated 3.2 million school-age children were out of primary school in 2020, with 1.2 million having never attended. Nearly 25% of pupils dropped out at the primary level or did not transition to lower secondary school (Tanzania, MoEST 2021). Additionally, the surge in enrollment has put pressure on the education system to increase the number of qualified teachers, classrooms, water, sanitation, hygiene facilities, and the availability of teaching and learning materials (UNICEF Innocenti, Florence, 2024). While EdTech offers potential, most rural children lack access to it. In sub-Saharan Africa, 89% of learners do not have household computers, and 82% lack internet access, according to UNESCO.
The Partnership
The Hempel Foundation supports initiatives that provide high-quality educational materials to underserved and vulnerable children, focusing on improving learning outcomes and increasing parental involvement in these regions.
As Africa’s leading edutainment organization, Ubongo delivers localized learning resources to African families on a large scale. Over the past decade, Ubongo edutainment has reached over 42 million households in 23 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Ubongo’s vision is to equip Africa’s next generation with the educational foundation, critical skills, and positive mindsets to change their own lives and communities for the better.
In collaboration with the Hempel Foundation, Ubongo set out to deliver educational content to underserved children in Tanzania. This partnership aimed to pilot and evaluate the distribution of Ubongo’s learning resources through various cost-effective and sustainable methods, targeting children aged 3-14 and their caregivers over two years across thirteen regions in Tanzania.
Strategy and Implementation
To maximize reach and engagement, Ubongo used multiple distribution channels:
- Educational Institutions: Partnered with schools, from daycare to primary levels, leveraging existing infrastructure.
- Households: Engaged parents and caregivers to facilitate content access at home.
- Community Partnerships: Collaborated with local groups to distribute content and establish sustainable engagement.
- Government Collaboration: Utilized iPads provided by the government to preload educational content for teachers.
Key Achievements
Expanded Reach:
- Reached approximately 1,158,179 children across eighteen regions in Tanzania, including Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Mara, Singida, Shinyanga, Kigoma, Mwanza, Simiyu, Geita, Kagera, Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Pwani, Tabora, Mbeya, Songwe, and Manyara.
Community Engagement:
- Established a network of community ambassadors in target regions to promote Ubongo content and raise awareness about its benefits.
Parental Involvement:
- Increased engagement from parents in their children’s education through various outreach efforts, encouraging active participation and support at home.
School Integration:
- Successfully distributed educational content to numerous primary, nursery, and daycare centers, with significant positive feedback and demand from teachers and education officers.
Resource Centers:
- Established 48 community resource centers in electrified schools, allowing parents and children to borrow educational materials and enhancing access to learning resources.
Public Events and Watch Parties:
- Hosted 28 public events and several watch parties, which were effective in creating brand awareness and encouraging caregivers to support their children’s learning through Ubongo’s content.
Partnerships:
- Formed partnerships with local community groups, childcare centers, NGOs, CSOs, and broadcasters to ensure sustainable and widespread distribution of content.
Broadcast Airtime:
- Increased viewership and listenership of Ubongo content through partnerships with broadcasters
Challenges
- Infrastructure Limitations: Many schools lacked electricity or necessary devices.
- Content Access: Ensuring consistent access outside school hours was challenging.
- Regulatory Delays: Obtaining timely permits for content distribution affected timelines and costs.
- Limited Radio Content: Ubongo has produced limited radio-specific materials, making content distribution via radio channels challenging. Over the past year, Ubongo has conducted extensive research on creating radio-specific content that maintains learning outcomes beyond TV. To support this effort, a Radio Producer has been added to the team.
- Permits: Obtaining timely permits for content distribution proved to be a challenge.
Lessons Learned
- Local Authority Engagement: Crucial for community buy-in and sustainable distribution.
- Adaptability: Needed to accommodate diverse regional needs and capabilities.
- Community Feedback: Vital for refining methods and content relevance.
The Journey Ahead
Moving forward, Ubongo plans to sustain content distribution in these regions while continuously monitoring its impact. This includes ongoing collaboration with established partners to ensure the work’s continuity and maximize reach to as many children as possible. Insights gained from the pilot will guide the development of the most sustainable and efficient content distribution strategies. Utilizing the extensive network of ground distribution officers will ensure widespread access to educational content across Tanzania and potentially other countries where Ubongo operates.
VIDEO: Hempel Foundation Case Study: Delivering Learning Resources to Underserved Communities in Tanzania
References
UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Tanzania, the President’s Office Regional and Local Administration of Tanzania and UNICEF Tanzania, Data Must Speak: Unpacking Factors Influencing School Performance in Mainland Tanzania. UNICEF Innocenti, Florence, 2024.
“Literacy & Girls’ Education Nonprofit at Work in Tanzania.” Room to Read, www.roomtoread.org/countries/tanzania/educational-landscape/. Accessed 20 June 2024.
Tanzania, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Education Sector Development Plan (2021/22–2025/26), MoEST, Dodoma, 2021.
