“First we must educate adults”: Nyerere’s policy on adult education and its implications for modern-day Tanzania

Adult education is still regarded as a strategic agent for development and socio-economic transformation in many countries. In Tanzania, a special emphasis on adult education was particularly manifested during Julius Nyerere’s presidency (1962–1985), which regarded adult education as a means of increasing popular awareness of political and social realities on the one hand and increasing the potential for social transformation on the other. This theoretical article critically examines Nyerere’s policy on adult education as articulated in his speech on the theme of adult education delivered on the eve of the 1970 New Year and its implications for contemporary Tanzania. In the course of his argument, the author demonstrates how adult education remains of crucial importance, especially for developing countries such as Tanzania.