Tanzania’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology published National Guidelines for Artificial Intelligence in Education in 2025, representing the country’s first formal policy document addressing AI integration in the education system. The guidelines aim to provide direction for schools, higher education institutions, and education policymakers on responsible AI use, data protection, and pedagogical applications. UNESCO supported preparatory consultations for Tanzania’s national AI Readiness Assessment in early 2025, gathering input from policymakers, technology experts, academia, civil society, and the private sector in both Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Despite this policy activity at the national level, a research analysis of Tanzanian higher education institutions found that none of the sampled institutions had formal AI policies in place as of 2025, citing rapid technological change, limited expertise, and weak institutional leadership as barriers.
Who it affects: School and university administrators, teachers, and students across Tanzania’s education system, to the extent institutions choose to follow the voluntary guidelines. The UNESCO readiness assessment process engaged stakeholders across sectors.
What is notably missing: The guidelines are non-binding; no law or regulation requires schools or universities to implement them. No dedicated funding for implementation has been confirmed. Tanzania’s AI Readiness Assessment, completed in 2025, documented fragmented regulatory frameworks and identified scaling digital literacy and AI skills across education and vocational training as urgent priorities — indicating the guidelines alone are insufficient to close the gap.