Alignment between Selected University Teacher Education Curricula and Secondary School Syllabi in Tanzania

This study investigated the alignment between university teacher education curricula and thesecondary school syllabi that graduates are expected to teach in Tanzania. Using a qualitativemultiple embedded case study design, data were collected from four universities and six secondaryschools through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and documents.Respondents included 18 university academics, six heads of schools and two School QualityAssurers. Comparative document analysis examined science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) and arts(Geography, History) course outlines in relation to national syllabi. Findings indicate partialalignment in the sciences, with overlap in foundational topics but significant gaps where universitycontent is either too advanced or irrelevant to the needs of schools. Arts subjects exhibitedstronger alignment, although some content extends beyond the secondary requirements.Pedagogical components are included in university curricula but are often taught separately fromsubject content, limiting the integration of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and constrainingreadiness for Tanzania’s competence-based curriculum (CBC). The study concludes that weakalignment in science, partial misalignment in arts, and fragmented pedagogy undermine teacherpreparedness. It recommends closer collaboration between universities and the Tanzania Instituteof Education, embedding subject-specific pedagogy, integrating PCK into disciplinary courses,expanding practicum opportunities, and strengthening continuous pedagogical training to enhanceclassroom applicability and support CBC implementation.