“I Thought This Was Only for Professors”: Ashirafu Reflects on Writing a Form 3 Business Studies National Textbook
Equipping 3 million Tanzanian teens each year with real-world business skills
An Impact Story
Morning sunlight fills a Form 3 classroom in Dar es Salaam. Lively groups of students gather around desks, sketching ideas for their very own business plans. Pages flip through textbooks as students discuss how to turn ideas into ventures that solve problems in their communities.
Starting in early 2025, Business Studies became compulsory in lower secondary, introducing over 3 million Tanzanian students each year to entrepreneurship and practical business skills. The curriculum, textbooks, and teaching methods are created through a structured, government-led process, with Educate! as a technical adviser, before final approval for nationwide use.
Our colleague Ashirafu Mdhakiru, Educate!’s Policy Design and Learning Specialist, was part of the Educate! team that joined the national task force writing the Form 3 Business Studies textbook.
Ashirafu helped develop content for the business plan unit, a key topic that teaches students how to turn ideas into viable ventures. After several rounds of review, the content he proposed, including the chapter he worked on, was retained in the final published version.
“Knowing how many rounds of review and input these books go through, it feels rewarding to see those ideas make it to print,” says Ashirafu.
For Ashirafu, contributing to Tanzania’s national textbook was a meaningful professional milestone and his first impact at the national level. This achievement also aligns directly with Tanzania’s broader education reforms, as the new Form 3 Business Studies textbook supports the government’s push for a competency-based curriculum and practical skills for youth across the country.
This journey shows what it means to be part of Educate!. We exist to develop young leaders and entrepreneurs in Africa. Our team’s expertise, commitment, and passion have earned us the trust to work alongside private and public stakeholders in shaping the future of education.
“This moment means a lot to me, not only because of the impact it will have on students and teachers, but also because it marks my growth in this role as a policy designer,” Ashirafu says.
Ashirafu’s story is a celebration of what’s possible when you bring your whole self to the mission. If you’ve ever wondered whether your work can really make a difference, here’s your answer: It can.
Every supporter, colleague, and partner plays an important role in realizing these results. Together we can measurably impact millions of youth across Africa.
To learn more about the work of Educate! in Tanzania, read our blog post, Transforming Learning in Tanzania: the Potential of Competency-Based Education.