Competency-based curriculum in Tanzania: Charting dilemmas for successful implementation

A competency-based curriculum (CBC) provides learners with the essential skills for the job market and helps them adapt to the modern world’s needs. Despite its perceived importance, Tanzania faces multiple challenges that prevent CBC from achieving smooth implementation. Previous research studies have highlighted the need to adopt this paradigm and the related challenges. However, the implementation is still weak, calling for understanding the core dilemmas that prevent its successful implementation. Thus, this study investigated the fundamental dilemmas that affect the implementation of a competency-based curriculum in Njombe Region, Tanzania. A total of 78 participants, including teachers, school administrators, and students, used a qualitative research method involving interviews and focus group discussions to examine the dilemmas constraining the effective implementation of CBC. The research identified multiple core dilemmas related to teachers’ readiness, resource distribution, assessment approaches, and societal expectations. The findings showed that many teachers lack adequate training and support to implement CBC, highlighting a gap in professional readiness. Resource distribution is highly uneven, with rural schools facing severe shortages of materials and infrastructure. Assessment practices remain dominated by traditional exams, conflicting with the CBC’s emphasis on continuous, skills-based evaluation. Societal expectations still favour academic grades over practical competencies, creating resistance to the curriculum’s goals. Effective CBC implementation in Tanzania requires local solutions, continuous teacher training, and collaborative efforts to overcome its challenges. This initiative would help shift from vague descriptions of CBC in Tanzania to identifying key dilemmas in implementation, thus providing nuanced, context-specific insights into why the implementation of the CBC remains low, despite the policy support.