Tanzania to Launch Comprehensive Student Tracking System to Address Education Data Gaps
Dar es Salaam. For many years, Tanzania’s education landscape has battled a persistent and complex question: what becomes of students once they enter the system?
From pre-primary levels to secondary school, thousands of learners disappear from official records, creating a long trail of inconsistencies that has repeatedly frustrated policymakers and education stakeholders.
The issue came sharply back into the spotlight as the country began its 2025 Form Four examinations on November 17, when data exposed a striking drop between students selected for secondary education and those who reached the final year. Government records show that of the 907,803 students selected to join Form One in 2022, only 595,816 are currently sitting for Form Four exams. While authorities have since clarified that those missing from the list include students who never reported to school, those who failed Form Two exams, dropouts due to various reasons, and those who migrated abroad.
The fact remains that more than a third of the original cohort has not reached the expected milestone. Such gaps, which re-occur year after year, point to a deeper challenge in the country’s ability to monitor its learners effectively.
Government Introduces Digital Tracking Solution
To address this long-standing problem, the government is now preparing to introduce what it describes as a comprehensive and robust student-tracking system.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Prof Carolyne Nombo, said the goal is to establish a seamless mechanism that follows students from early childhood through higher education.
"The system will allow us to verify students’ numbers accurately and track movement across schools and regions. We aim to identify students who repeat, drop out, or transfer, ensuring that no child is left unaccounted for," she said.
Prof Nombo added that the system will be linked from the earliest point possible, with the government exploring the possibility of registering children at birth to support long-term monitoring. She emphasised that this approach would enable the ministry to create a clear and unbroken education journey for every child in the country.
"By registering children from birth, we can streamline monitoring and provide support throughout their education journey. Our goal is to ensure that all children can complete their schooling," she noted.
She further highlighted ongoing efforts to ensure that students who dropped out are given opportunities to re-enter the system, either through formal, non-formal or higher education pathways.
Lessons from Regional Success Stories
While the idea may seem ambitious, Tanzania is not venturing into unknown territory. Several countries have implemented similar systems with measurable success, offering useful lessons for local policymakers.
In Kenya, the introduction of the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) revolutionised the way learners are tracked. Each student receives a Unique Personal Identifier that follows them throughout their education. The system exposed thousands of ghost learners, enhanced accountability, and made the distribution of capitation grants far more accurate.
India provides another powerful example through its UDISE+ platform, linked to the national identification system known as Aadhaar. The country manages millions of student profiles, tracking enrolment, attendance, performance and movement between schools.
Rwanda, too, has experienced significant gains with its Education Management Information System, which played a role in reducing national dropout rates from 14 percent in 2012 to below 8 percent by 2020, according to UNESCO.
These models share a common feature: a centralised learning identity that enables real-time visibility of a student’s progress.
Expert Perspectives on Digital Transformation
Experts believe Tanzania stands to benefit immensely from adopting a digital tracking system tailored to its environment. A centralised portal enabling schools to update attendance, academic performance, transfers and re-entry cases in real time would significantly strengthen transparency and planning.
Integrating the education system with social services could further help identify children at risk of dropping out due to pregnancy, illness, poverty or disability.
Education researcher Dr Thomas Mallya argues that such a system could reshape the country’s education landscape.
"Tanzania loses children at every stage because we lack real-time tracking," he says. "A digital system would finally give us visibility, enabling early interventions before a student disappears completely."
While he acknowledges the challenge of limited internet connectivity in some regions, he notes that recent government investments in the National ICT Broadband Backbone position Tanzania well for this transition.
