Improving access to and quality of early childhood education in Zanzibar

The importance of early childhood education (ECE) to a child’s life has recently been gaining in prominence worldwide, including Zanzibar. The present study assesses the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the Watoto Kwanza project, designed to address some of the key challenges facing Zanzibar’s ECE sector as of 2013. With funding by Dubai Cares, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Madrassa Early Childhood Programme – Zanzibar and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training jointly implemented the Watoto Kwanza project from 2014 to 2017 across Zanzibar’s two main islands, Unguja and Pemba. In addition to evaluating the three key project elements of Watoto Kwanza – Training and Professional Development of Teachers; Conductive and Constructive Teaching and Learning Environments; and Support Systems and Networks – the research situates these within the currently changing landscape of ECE in Zanzibar and looks ahead to the future of the project’s outcomes. Finally, it proposes recommendations based on these findings at three levels: specific to Watoto Kwanza, specific within the ECE sector, and broader sectoral recommendations.