DAR ES SALAAM, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank on Wednesday approved additional financing of 80 million U.S. dollars to support the Tanzanian government's efforts to provide free and quality education to millions of primary and secondary school children.
A statement issued by the bank's office in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam said the World Bank approved the new financing through its International Development Association (IDA), which helps the world's poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people's lives.
The statement said the funds will be used in the implementation of the Education Program for Results (EPforR).
The program aims to support the government's efforts to manage the challenges of accommodating the surge in primary and lower secondary student numbers following the introduction of the Fee-Free Basic Education Policy, said the statement.
The statement added that the funds will also be used to safeguard and further improve student gains made in the first three years of implementation of the program.
Moreover, the additional financing to the EPforR aims to assist the government in increasing student retention in primary and lower secondary school and transition from primary to lower secondary education, especially for girls, said the statement.
"The EPforR Program is an effective way to support the government to achieve its objective of ensuring all school-going age children are in school and learning," said Bella Bird, World Bank Country Director for Tanzania, Somalia, Malawi and Burundi.
She added: "We congratulate the government on removing obstacles to school attendance, especially among the poor, and for its focus on education quality."
The improvement of learning quality in schools lays the foundation for achieving Tanzania's development goals without leaving anyone behind, said Bird.
The original program was approved by the World Bank in July 2014 in the amount of 122 million U.S. dollars to support raising the quality of its primary and secondary education.
The EPforR is also supported by the governments of the United Kingdom and Sweden, in addition to Tanzanian government's own resources.
"The value-added of the EPforR is its focus on results, not just on inputs, and ensuring that the incentives are aligned at all levels to deliver a conducive learning environment and as well as improved learning outcomes," said Gayle Martin, the World Bank's Program Leader for Human Development.
