Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 8 July 2026 – Tanzania will host its first School Leadership Engagement Week from 14 -16 July 2026, bringing together policymakers, education leaders, researchers, development partners and practitioners to align national priorities for school leadership development leadership development and advance evidence-informed reforms across Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. The engagement week will be opened by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Carolyne Nombo, and will conclude with a closing ceremony officiated by the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Prof. Adolf Mkenda, reflecting the Government’s commitment to strengthening school leadership as a key driver of improved teaching and learning, school performance and learning outcomes.
Organised by the Agency for the Development of Educational Management (ADEM) in partnership with the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) under the LEAD pillar of the Leaders in Teaching (LiT-LEAD) initiative in Tanzania, the week reflects a shared commitment to strengthen the system that enables school leaders to strategically guide their schools, lead teaching and learning and act as catalysts for improved school performance and students’ learning outcomes.
Over three days, policymakers, education leaders, researchers and practitioners will work together to strengthen collaboration, build consensus around national priorities and promote evidence-informed decision-making. The week will deliver three major national outcomes:
- Establish national school leadership coordination mechanisms for both Mainland and Zanzibar;
- Focus on School Leadership Research Grants and;
- Disseminate school leadership mapping exercise and Training Needs Assessment (TNA) key findings.
ADEM and ACSL will disseminate the Tanzania School Leadership Mapping Report, providing the country’s first comprehensive evidence-based exercise on school leadership policies, governance arrangements, professional development, research and sector coordination to inform future reforms. This will be followed by the inauguration of the National School Leadership Sector Coordination Task Force, creating a national mechanism to strengthen collaboration and align efforts across institutions responsible for school leadership in the country. In addition, the week will launch the National School Leadership Research Agenda and validate 14 Tanzanian research proposals supported through the ACSL School Leadership Research Grants Programme, reinforcing the role of locally generated evidence in shaping future policy and practice.
“School Leadership Engagement Week reflects Tanzania’s commitment to strengthening school leadership as a driver of improved teaching and learning,” said Dr. Maulid J. Maulid, Chief Executive of ADEM. “By bringing together policymakers, researchers and practitioners, we are creating a shared platform to align priorities, strengthen collaboration and build the systems needed to support effective school leadership across the country.”
School Leadership Engagement Week marks another milestone in the implementation of the LiT-LEAD initiative, delivered by ADEM with support from ACSL, to strengthen school leadership across Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. Since its launch, the programme has rolled out professional development for 611 secondary school head teachers and deputy head teachers in the Lake Zone Region s and is expected to reach 12,000 school leaders, with the potential to improve learning outcomes for more than 2.8 million learners.
The priorities and commitments emerging from the week are expected to inform policy reforms, strengthen institutional coordination and shape professional development and research, laying the foundation for a more coherent and effective school leadership system in Tanzania.
About the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL)
The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) is a Pan-African coalition comprising the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) and VVOB – education for development. In partnership with the MasterCard Foundation, the coalition works with governments and education stakeholders across Africa to strengthen school leadership through policy development, professional learning and research.
About the Agency for the Development of Educational Management (ADEM)
The Agency for the Development of Educational Management (ADEM) is an Executive Agency inaugurated under the Executive Agencies Act, Cap.245. ADEM is mandated to improve education management in Tanzania through the provision of training, research and consultancy services.
Media Contact
Tausi Kiggula,
Advocacy and Communications Officer, ACSL Tanzania
T.KIGGULA@afdb.org
+255 786911080
Babu Joseph,
Communications Officer, ADEM Tanzania
+255 623763010
High quality photos are available upon request
