Twenty-six Scholarship Recipients Inducted Into the Open University of Tanzania Bachelor’s degree programme

Basseterre, St. Kitts and November 19, 2025 (UNESCO National Commission) – The Ministry of Education, in partnership with the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) and UNESCO, is proud to announce the successful induction of twenty-six (26) St. Kitts and Nevis teachers into the remote-based Bachelor’s Degree in Education programme. The virtual ceremony, held on November 18th, was attended by key stakeholders, including all 26 scholarship recipients, Hon. Minister Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, Ambassador David P. Doyle, and representatives from OUT and UNESCO.

The OUT-St. Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Education initiative, with the full endorsement of the UN specialised agency, UNESCO, aims to enhance the professionalization of the country’s teaching force, improve teacher digital literacy, and increase access to quality education. The programme offers flexibility and affordability, allowing teachers to study at their own pace.

Key speakers at the ceremony included the Honourable Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, Minister of Education et al of St. Kitts and Nevis, Permanent Representative of St. Kitts and Nevis to UNESCO, H.E. Dr. David P. Doyle, the Tanzanian Ambassador to UNESCO, H.E. Ali Mwadini, the OUT academic dean, Professor Janeth Kigobe, outgoing OUT vice-chancellor, Professor Bisanda, Mrs Lisa Pistana, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, and Mr. Eric Falt, Regional Director, UNESCO Office for the Caribbean, Jamaica.

Minister Hanley, who was instrumental in pursuing this innovative teachers training initiative in cooperation with the SKN National Commission for UNESCO and the Federation’s diplomatic mission to UNESCO in Paris, remarked that the ceremony was “a timely and symbolic conclusion to months of tripartite work involving the St. Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Education, the Open University of Tanzania (OUT), and UNESCO, in reaching an agreement designed to scale-up the quality of teaching in St. Kitts and Nevis.”

“The genesis of this initiative arose when I attended the UNESCO General Assembly in Paris in 2023, where introductions were initiated by UNESCO’s education team to the Open University of Tanzania. In quick order, the Ministry pursued negotiations with the University, culminating in the MOU agreement, signed in October 2024. It has been an outstanding success story for the advancement of teacher education in St. Kitts and Nevis”

The Minister explained that following on from a central recommendation by UNESCO experts in 2017 on the need to scale-up of the basic qualifications of existing teachers, to ensure that they are better trained and qualified to undertake teaching at all levels in the national education system, the OUT agreement in direct partnership with UNESCO, offers access to the University’s Bachelor’s Degree, “aimed at strengthening the capacities of teachers in education and training provision, management, research, monitoring and evaluation”.

“The Open University of Tanzania solution is thus a distinctly cost-effective, time-efficient and robust response to the urgent need that our administration identified as a means of investing in the country’s teachers to acquire the appropriate skills-set at both academic and pedagogical levels.”

The programme’s objectives include:

· Professionalization of the country’s teaching force through a Bachelor’s Degree in Education scholarship programme.

· Enable a more structured ITC training component for teachers in the OUT curriculum, thereby enhancing their digital-literacy skills.

· Reduce the high cost and disruption to teachers having to take training leave by extensively using digital modalities to deliver the courses

“Significantly, with the Ministry of Education initiating this partnership with the Open University of Tanzania, St. Kitts and Nevis is marking a Caribbean regional first. It is also a compelling example of South-South Cooperation, between our two nations,” concluded Minister Hanley.

Ambassador David Doyle stated that “With UNESCO’s support, as the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis seeks to attain the Sustainable Development Goals in Education, this initiative could form the basis of a model to be replicated by other small island developing states in scaling-up teachers’ professional qualifications.”

About the Open University of Tanzania

The Open University of Tanzania is a reputable institution that offers flexible and affordable education solutions. The University’s participation in this initiative underscores its commitment to supporting education development in small island developing states.

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