The singing, clapping and the dancing all made for an exciting event as two community learning centres and one community learning hub were launched in an Adult Learning and Education (ALE) pilot project funded by DVV International. “Elimu endelevu kwa watu wote Tanzania” is a slogan that means “life-long learning for all in Tanzania, and this was placed on all three Community Learning Centres and one learning hub during the official launches in 2022 and 2023.

A CLC is defined as a one-stop centre for provision of non-formal youth and adult learning and education, lifelong learning and integrated service delivery for socio-economic transformation and improved quality of life. The aim is to ensure the following:

• To provide ALE services and provide lifelong learning opportunities.

• To facilitate individual and community development for sustainable development and improving quality of life

• To address local needs with tailor-made services

• To deliver a range of services in one location

• To promote empowerment, social, cultural, and economic transformation.

During the launch in Kisarawe District, Ms. Senkoro, the District Adult Education Officer (DAEO) gave an overview of adult learning and education in the district and shared some alarming statistics: “According to the educational census conducted using village officials, the total number of adults who are illiterate are 3,839 (1,537M) and (2,302F). Currently 652 adults have enrolled in literacy classes (117M and 435F) among them 31 (8F and 23M) are people living with disabilities. This is equal to 17% of the illiterate people in the district” Remarked Ms. Senkoro.

“The concept of life-long learning still bears a certain level of stigma for adults over a certain age. An older man or woman “going to class” like their children and grandchildren sometimes holds the connotation that they are way behind in formal learning. There is a 14% adult illiteracy rate that needs to be addressed.” (The District Adult Education Officer of the newly launched Mzenga Community Learning Centre)

Insufficient human resource capital, inadequate facilities (learning centres, land) are some of the barriers to rolling out effective ALE interventions in Tanzania. Similarly, the intersectionality between basic education and ALE needs to be explored further, especially as parents are required to provide the children with learning support when the get home from school.

Technology (MoEST) and President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG). In these workshops, it was agreed to contextualize and pilot the East/ Horn of Africa CLC model in Tanzania and build a supportive system from national to micro level that supports effective, relevant and needs oriented service delivery at the CLC. In this pilot CLCs will be established in four districts of Kisarawe, Kibaha DC, Kongwa and Mpwapwa located in Coast and Dodoma regions.

“The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology’s (MoEST’s) role is to provide revised guidelines that will be used in management and operations of Community Learning Centres (CLCs) to manage the quality of Education provided by CLCs. They would also ensure that facilitators at the learning centres are capacitated.” (Ms. Felista Mapunda, Focal person, Adult Education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology)

In Kisarawe district, the government provided a ward office located at Mzenga to be used as a CLC. As a result, DVV complemented the government efforts by renovating the building to meet the standards of a CLC. Similarly, the building was provided with furniture to be used by the adult learners group at the centre. After the renovation, the CLC was officially launched on Thursday 23rd February 2023.

The launching event was officiated by the Honourable Fatma Almasi Nyangasa the District Commissioner of Kisarawe District Council. Other participants included government officials from PORALG, Kisarawe District, Mzenga ward and nearby villages. The Mzenga Ward Education officer suggested that looking at the community presently, adults are entrepreneurs, farmers, and pastoralists so they need to gain knowledge and skills that aligns with their social and economic needs.

Ms. Frauke Heinze the Regional Director East and Horn of Africa of DVV International pointed out that DVV International is an international organization dealing with adult education. She also called on leaders at various levels to provide adequate cooperation to facilitate the provision of productive training at the Community Learning Centres.

The District Commissioner Fatma Almas Nyangasa, thanked DVV international for the efforts to ensure that adults are accessing learning in an enabling environment and encouraged the community to maintain the centre. She further urged the community to create a good system that will track the training provided on both literacy and skills development. Mzenga CLC which was launched in mid-March 2023 will be a place of learning and community development, where a variety of adult learning and community development training will be provided. Community members will meet and receive numerous services such as literacy and numeracy classes provided by various experts and facilitators from the government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders.

The second approach in adult learning and education system strengthening has been to identify and support the existing Folk Development Colleges (FDC) as an innovative solution to adult learning in Tanzania. The FDCs in Tanzania were established in 1975 by the Ministry of National Education as part of a more comprehensive Adult Education Programme. The establishment of the FDCs emanated from the dialogue between the President of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Director of Adult Education in 1971 after the presidential visit to Sweden where he was impressed by the country’s education system, particularly the Folk High Schools (FHS).

Currently, there are at least two FDC colleges in every region of the Tanzanian mainland making a total of 55 centres (with the exception of the new regions of Geita and Songwe), providing both Folk Education and (since 2013) Vocational Education and Training through three kinds of courses. Folk Development Colleges also act as Multipurpose Centres offering Folk Education and vocational training programmes provided in a flexible timetable to address community members’ different needs. However, to sustain the demand, FDCs should improve the quality and quantity of supplied services to meet the standards expected by the public (United National educational Scientific, n.d.).

In Mpwapwa district, DVV International is working with an FDC located in Chisalu Ward. During consensus building, it was agreed that the College will designate one room that will be used as a learning hub by the surrounding community. Consequently, DVV International included the FDC in its pilot and provided some equipment for Chisalu Learning Hub which was officially launched on Friday 17^th March 2023. The Hub will allow community members to benefit from various ALE services, such as, trainings on literacy and numeracy, life skills, and skills for income generating and development provided by various experts and facilitators from the government, NGOs, and other stakeholders.

The launch was sensational, and the District Commissioner was represented by Division Officer Ms. Gloria S. Baregu. Mr. Matteo Mwita (DVV International Capacity Development Advisor) and Ms. Rita Kahurananga (DVV International Programme and Partnership Advisor) explained that “DVV International is committed to community development. Since FDC is doing community-centred courses it would be easier for them to integrate functional literacy in their courses to help those struggling with literacy.” Further, Mr. Matteo explained that the FDC Principal and District Adult Education Officer were capacitated in functional literacy so that they can help community facilitators to teach integrated adult education to learners’ groups around the community. Moreover, the discussions with different stakeholders who can contribute for skills development in different areas are underway.

The guest of honour thanked DVV international for their efforts to make sure that the learning hub is launched so that the community could have a place to learn various skills. She further urged learners’ group to use the hub for learning purposes, calling upon adults who are unable to read and write also to join and benefit from the functional literacy.

“If we didn’t know the best farming methods, we will know them through this programme. People will get opportunity to learn various skills that will help them elevate their economic status. I see Matomondo thriving economically through this project.” (Mr. Patrick Mafuru District Community Development Officer (DCDO) Mpwapwa District)

"As a district, we have accorded DVV international with all required support to make sure that our people are benefiting from this project.” (DEO, Mwpapwa)

“My fellow citizens, I have learnt through the report read here today that Mpwapwa district is among four districts in Tanzania mainland that are beneficiary of this project. We have been given this opportunity out of the other 22 regions in Tanzania. The hub intends to offer different skills and knowledge inter alia literacy, entrepreneurship, credit and saving, farming and animal husbandry.” (Ms. Gloria Baregu, Acting District Commissioner (Ag. DC), Mpwapwa District)

Stigma is slowly eroding from the minds of existing and potential adult learners in Tanzania. Men and women have shown great interest to learn how to read and write, and count, but are even more interested to learn a skill together with adult literacy. The concept of functional literacy is fast catching on and the impact is being felt by adult learners in these two regions. They are interested in getting together to learn about matters that concern them, all the while gaining literacy skills.