SUCCESS STORY
U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania visits MKEZA
 On September 20, 2005 the new U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, Michael L. Retzer, visited a USAID education funded project on the island of Zanzibar as well as met with key officials of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports' (MoECS) and the President of Zanzibar. Mradi wa Kuendeleza Elimu Zanzibar (MKEZA), which stands for "improving education quality in Zanzibar" in Kiswahili, is a USAID funded initiative that aims to improve the quality of learning in Zanzibar by training teachers, communities and government officials from the pre-school to secondary school level. Ambassador Retzer expressed appreciation and support for improvements in education not only to high officials but in particular to the teachers, communities and religious leaders who are the agents of change.
The U.S. Ambassador toured the Madrasa Resource Center (MRC) Al Rahma in Kidimni on the island of Unguja where he observed classroom practices and small  groups of children engaged in mathematics and science lessons. He commended teachers' ability to improvise using locally available materials. He also spoke with teachers and school management committee members, acknowledging their efforts to improve education in their communities and the U.S.'s continued support of these endeavors.
At the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) and The Professional Development Center (PDC) offices located at the Nkrumah Teacher Training Centre (NTTC) and the Nkrumah Teachers Resource Centre (NTRC), the Ambassador saw some of MKEZA's products such as the Advanced Secondary Teacher Course (ASTC) modules.
The Ambassador observed first hand MKEZA's work in Zanzibar and received confirmation from the Minister of Education that the Government of Zanzibar is pleased with MKEZA's contributions to improving education.
 The Ambassador too was impressed with MKEZA's work and USAID's support for education in Zanzibar. Ambassador Retzer explained, "Ensuring access to a good education is essential for any great society and I am pleased to see that the ministry and the local groups USAID is helping here in Zanzibar share our commitment to this goal. I am very proud of what has already been accomplished and I look forward to continuing to build on the momentum that we have established to further strengthen education in Zanzibar."
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