25 October 2021

Sense International Tanzania is celebrating a historic achievement.

Sense International Tanzania’s (SI Tanzania) curriculum for children with deafblindness/ multi-sensory impairments (MSI) has been officially incorporated into the national syllabus by the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE). It’s the first time children with deafblindness/MSI will have a dedicated curriculum in Tanzania.

Many of the people supported by Sense International have a combination of sight and hearing impairments known as deafblindness. In Tanzania, an estimated 1.16 million people live with a mild form of deafblindness and more than 115,000 people live with a severe form of deafblindness.*

The new school curriculum is for children with deafblindness/MSI from the age of five who will be enrolled for seven years. Children who are identified with deafblindness/MSI at an older age will also be able to access the curriculum and complete the seven-year cycle. The curriculum is flexible and teachers will be able to adapt it for each child according to their needs and abilities.
Sense International Tanzania has been advocating for the curriculum for more than a decade. During that time, Sense International Tanzania has partnered with the government in Tanzania to provide expertise and training to teachers on how to support children with deafblindness/MSI.

It is hoped this will lead to more curriculums being developed for children with different types of disabilities. The Tanzania Institute of Education has shown interest in working with Sense International Tanzania to provide training for teachers on how to use the curriculum and teacher’s guide, and to establish a similar curriculum for children with autism.

Sense International Tanzania is continuing to support children with deafblindness/ MSI and their families, despite the ongoing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Find out how you can make a donation to support our work.

* Figures based on prevalence estimates produced as part of research by the World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB). This data may differ from official government statistics. World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB), 2018 At risk of exclusion from CRPD and SDGs implementation: Inequality and persons with deafblindness.