CAMFED Regional Learning Visit to Tanzania: Integrating the Learner Guide model into national education systems at scale

This article was originally published on the CAMFED website.

From 22nd to 27th September 2024, a regional exchange learning visit was held in Tanzania. The goal of the visit was to share practical learning about how elements of CAMFED’s youth-led mentorship Learner Guide Program* are being adapted and integrated into more government schools in Tanzania by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST). 

The event brought together senior government officials from ministries of education in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi, including the Permanent Secretary of Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) and the Deputy Permanent Secretaries from Tanzania’s MoEST and President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government Tanzania (PO-RALG). 

Discussions underscored the vital role of close collaboration between governments, communities and schools to address challenges in education, with youth-led mentorship highlighted as a crucial element in fostering a conducive learning environment. Learner Guides have been shown to improve attendance and academic performance by providing guidance and counselling, as well as helping students develop life skills, build confidence, and overcome personal challenges. 

Learnings from the exchange visit 

Key valuable learnings from the exchange visit, included: 

• That Learner Guides from similar backgrounds to the students and communities they serve can facilitate better communication and understanding within the learning ecosystem. 
• That the administrative process for program implementation requires effective collaboration with regional and district education officers, school heads, and guidance and counselling teachers. 
• That there are valuable strategies to help retain Learner Guides, whose role is a voluntary one. In Tanzania, these have included offering small business loans and offering these young people paid roles in schools.

Back to school: Experiencing Learner Guides in action 

Delegates from Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi travelled to Dodoma district, Tanzania, to learn from the country’s experience of implementing the Learner Guide model at scale. During the visit, participants joined in a series of meetings and visited two secondary schools to see the program in action, with visitors sitting alongside students as they took part in life skills and self-development sessions. 

Through direct observation and discussions the delegation sought to understand the practical aspects of scaling the model within national education systems. This exchange provided valuable insights and lessons, which will enhance the adaptation and application of successful strategies to adapt the Learner Guide model to suit the educational contexts of Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi.

* Known in Zambia and Malawi as the Learner Guide Program, in Zimbabwe as the Peer Educator Program, and in Tanzania as the Life Skills Facilitator program.