Paper short abstract:

In Tanganyika, education has not constituted a high priority of German and British colonial administrations. When coming to power after Independence, President J. K Nyerere emphasized the development of mass education as a way to incorporate all citizens in the building of the nation.

Paper long abstract:

In Tanganyika, education has not constituted a high priority of colonial administrations neither during German period nor under British protectorate. When coming to power after Independence, President J. K Nyerere emphasized the development of mass education as a way to incorporate all citizens in the building of the nation and its development process by raising their level of political awareness and by improving their agricultural skills . This education program known as "Education for Self-Reliance" (ESR) launched at the Arusha Declaration (1967), was strongly linked to the development of self-sufficient agricultural communities (Ujamaa) which represented the framework of Tanzanian political and economic patterns. Primary schools were given top priority, absorbing almost all state resources devoted to education. Primary education was not aimed at bringing the pupils to further studies but was considered as the normal end of schooling for most children. As Nyerere wrote : « Educational system of Tanzania must emphasize co-operative endeavour, not individual advancement" . Even though ESR program was abandoned in the middle of 1980s in the context of structural adjustment, its philosophy and the specific educational pattern it had set have strongly shaped the representations of education of Tanzanian leaders as well as people. The desire for further education that has partly led the government to expand secondary education since mid-2000s and the form of this expansion can be analyzed within Nyerere's heritage. Focusing on discourses which legitimate the educational reforms of the former two decades, this contribution intends to enlighten the durability of Nyerere's legacy in education sector whether continued or contested.