A new regional study has revealed that the majority of adolescents in Tanzania lack life skills such as self-awareness, collaboration, problem-solving and respect, raising serious concerns about the preparedness of young people for adult life and joining the workforce.
The findings were released at a media workshop in Morogoro over the weekend, from a study carried out by Action for Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE), assessing over 45,000 adolescents across the core East African Community (EAC) partner states.
The study indicated that only eight percent of adolescents in the country demonstrate essential life skills, results highlighting minimal variations at the regional level, where Mainland regions had eight percent competency and Zanzibar regions inched up at nine percent.
Participants among regional neighbours performed slightly better, with Uganda at 12 percent and Kenya at 14 percent, but researchers warn that these figures indicate widespread failure of education systems across East Africa to equip youths with practical life skills beyond traditional classroom knowledge.
Dr Daniel Marando, the outfit’s learning hub coordinator, pointed at a significant competency gap among schools in the region, underlining that although national curricula often include life skills and values, teachers frequently lack the training and tools to nurture these competencies effectively.
“In many schools, students are trapped in a rote learning system, where memorisation is prioritised over practical skills,” he stated, hinting that as a result, young people can recall facts “but struggle to collaborate, resolve conflicts, make informed decisions, or demonstrate self-awareness and respect.”
The ALiVE study is the first in East Africa to provide a formal framework for measuring ‘soft’ skills in a locally contextualised setting, offering robust data that can inform policy and education reforms.
The findings are now being taken up by the NGO to engage with the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to better integrate life skills into the school system. The aim is to move beyond rote learning and ensure that adolescents acquire competencies essential for life, work and citizenship, the coordinator affirmed.
Ernest Sungura, executive secretary for the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), said the results require a radical rethink of how learning outcomes are measured, asserting that the media have a clear role of holding policymakers accountable in the matter for instance.
“Practical skills are essential for active citizenship and social development, and schools must prioritise them alongside book-based instruction,” he emphasized.
Baraka Mgohamwende, Uwezo Tanzania executive director, noted that the study provides a roadmap for reform, noting that governments and communities must rethink how schools cultivate values that support both individual development and societal progress.
The study warns that without urgent interventions, millions of young East Africans risk being unprepared for life beyond the classroom, facing challenges in employment, decision-making, and civic participation. With the region’s economies evolving rapidly, the lack of life skills could limit young people’s ability to contribute meaningfully to the workforce and society.
Marando stressed that addressing this skills gap is not optional. “Integrating life skills into education is critical not only for personal development but also for national economic growth and social stability,” he explained.
The study underlines a clear message for Tanzanian policymakers, educators and communities in preparing youth for the complexities of modern life, requiring more than textbooks. It requires deliberate training in practical skills, values and critical thinking, the coordinator affirmed.
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