Making Family, School, and Community Engagement Integral to Zanzibar’s Learning Ecosystem

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

Policy report analyzing family, school, and community engagement (FSCE) within Zanzibar’s education ecosystem. It argues that current frameworks treat family engagement as an add-on rather than an embedded component across pre-primary to secondary levels, shaped largely by family representation on decision bodies such as school management committees. The report attributes this siloed approach to unclear central definitions, no MoEVT unit responsible for FSCE, and project-dependent implementation. It presents findings from 2022–2023 research and recommends actionable policy, partnership, and communication strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages39

Reading Time1 h 38 min

AccessFree to download

Executive summary

Defining and conceptualizing FSCE in policies and plans

Building an ethos of partnerships into school practice

Family, school, and community engagement in Zanzibar’s education system

POLICY REPORT | JUNE 2026 MAKING FAMILY, SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INTEGRAL TO ZANZIBAR’S LEARNING ECOSYSTEM AUTHORS: EMILY MARKOVICH MORRIS AND RICHAA HOYSALA WITH: ESHE HAJI Executive summary Over the past four decades, the Government of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region in Tanzania, has recognized the importance of family engagement in the learning and development of children in its education policies, plans, and frameworks. Yet, family engagement is often positioned as an add-on activity, rather than as a vital component embedded at all education levels—from pre-primary to secondary—and in all areas of the education system, including in the teaching and learning of academic, life, civic, and other skills. The vision of family, school, and community engagement (FSCE) in guiding education frameworks, which includes plans, policies, and guidelines, is largely concentrated on the representation of families on decision-making bodies in schools, and particularly in school management committees (SMCs) as opposed to the many other possible forms of engagement documented globally. This siloed vision of FSCE and the lack of a comprehensive approach or vision for the role of families within these education frameworks are due to three interrelated reasons. First, there is no clear definition and vision for FSCEat the central level of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT), and consequently, education frameworks do not reflect comprehensive practices for ensuring families are centered in education policies, plans, and practices. Second, there is no unit, department, or person within MoEVT officially responsible for championing and overseeing FSCE across the basic education system, which extends from pre-primary to four years of secondary school. Third, FSCE efforts have been largely implemented through projects and when funding and programming ceases, activities slow or halt. The purpose of this policy report is to present findings on the current state of FSCE in Zanzibar and to identify promising strategies and practices to support an integrated approach to family engagement across education levels. This report starts with a policy analysis of key education frameworks governing Zanzibar’s education MAKING FAMILY, SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INTEGRAL TO ZANZIBAR’S 1 LEARNING ECOSYSTEM system across all education levels, followed by a presentation of empirical research conducted with government secondary school families, students, and educators in nine of Zanzibar’s eleven districts. The research was conducted between 2022 and 2023 in collaboration with the Milele Zanzibar Foundation (referred to as “Milele”) and the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at the Brookings Institution. The research methodology used was CUE’s Conversation Starter Tools, a participatory community-driven approach, which includes surveys and focus group discussions in school communities. The report then shares four key findings and recommendations that emerged through this research, which are outlined in Table 1. The recommendations in this report are directed at MoEVT, including central as well as district and school leaders, responsible for designing and implementing family and community engagement. Recommendations are also relevant for civil society organizations and donors supporting the education sector in Zanzibar. TABLE 1 Key findings and recommendations | Findings | Recommendations | | --- | --- | Defining and conceptualizing FSCE in policies and plans | 1. Families, educators, students, and education leaders have different understandings of what family, school, and community engagement means and should look like in schools. | 1. Ensure policies and plans include a comprehensive definition of family, school, and community engagement across the basic education system, with actionable guidance for implementing and monitoring meaningful engagement in districts and schools. | | --- | --- | |

FAQs

Why does the report say FSCE is not fully integrated in Zanzibar’s education frameworks?

It explains that FSCE is often positioned as an add-on, with limited guidance across all education levels, and mainly focused on family representation in decision-making bodies like school management committees.

What three interrelated reasons does the report give for the siloed FSCE vision?

It cites unclear FSCE definition and vision at the Ministry level, lack of an officially responsible unit/person in MoEVT, and the fact that FSCE efforts are largely project-based so activities slow when funding ends.

What are the report’s key recommendations for improving family engagement?

It recommends including a comprehensive FSCE definition and actionable guidance in policies, consulting families and students to shape a responsive FSCE vision for secondary schools, and expanding meaningful two-way communication and partnership practices such as parent teacher associations where applicable.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake