Press Releases

USAID provides $400,000 in Textbooks and Teaching Equipment for Zanzibar’s Primary and Secondary School Students

July 18, 2006

During a celebration at Zanzibar’s Mtopepo Primary School on July 14, the U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr. Michael Retzer, donated $400,000 in educational books, teaching equipment and supplies to the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. This donation, for the primary and secondary students of Zanzibar, was delivered through the United States Agency for International Development’s MKEZA (Mradi wa Kuendeleza Elimu Zanzibar) initiative, or “Improving the Quality of Education in Zanzibar,” operational since April 2004.

MKEZA helps improve learning in Zanzibar through teacher training, encouraging inclusive education, improved school management, and the provision of stimulating teaching materials. The emphasis is on improving student performance in Science, Civics, Mathematics and English. The United States is currently the largest education donor in Zanzibar. The program is part of President Bush’s Africa Education Initiative, a $ 600 million 5-year commitment focused on sub-Saharan Africa.

Some of the donated items include:

• More than 135,000 Primary Mathematics and English Textbooks;
• Classroom equipment for 5 Unguja teacher training centers, Nkrumah Teacher Resource Centre and a model classroom at Fuoni Secondary School;
• 30 tricycles for physically disabled children in Pemba and Unguja, over 21 Perkins Braille machines, 36 Braille kits, 164 reams of A4 Braille paper and 20 Braille tool kits for the blind;
• 160 copies of standard 4-7 textbooks and teachers’ guides for the subjects of Mathematics and English;
• A computer, laptop, photocopy machine and printer to facilitate improved planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the Special Needs Education Program by the Ministry.

The ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister Makame and Principal Secretary Abdallah (Education and Vocational Training), as well as District Commissioner of Urban West, the USAID Mission Director Ms. Pamela White, a delegation from a US-based NGO “Books for Africa” (that facilitated the acquisition of 25,000 additional education books from the USA for the benefit of Zanzibar’s students), representatives from the Aga Khan Foundation/Tanzania, teachers, students, members of the School Management Committee and parents of students of Mtopepo Primary School.