Supporting Vision Competence Creation for Sustainable Education in Tanzania

An important reason for early dropouts from the schools can be vision difficulties. This paper analyses findings from a project aiming at strengthening education for children in Tanzania through teacher competence and technological innovation regarding vision problems. The competence-building component provides knowledge amongst teachers in special needs teacher education about vision problems, including assessment and training of the eyes. The use of digital screening technology is involved in this. However, competence on vision is not enough to contribute to educational improvements; major stakeholders need to support educational changes. In this paper, we investigate stakeholders necessary for introducing such knowledge and technologies in Tanzania. By examining barriers of organisational, economic, behavioural and technical nature, we point out how a path of decision making, from the classroom to seeking specialised help for children, can be viable.