Central Data Catalog

The Zanzibar National Primary Examination has been administered annually since 1988 by the Zanzibar Examination Council to grade 7 (ISCED 1) students in public and private schools. Zanzibar being an autonomous region of the United Republic of Tanzania, it has its own education institutions and administers examinations distinct from those of mainland Tanzania.

From 2015 onwards, Zanzibar primary education cycle will comprise of six years instead of seven. As a transition measure, both grade 6 and grade 7 students will take the Zanzibar National Primary Examination in 2015. From 2016 onwards, grade 6 students will be the target population of the examination.

The Zanzibar National Primary Examination is a low-stake examination that certifies completion of primary education. A candidate is eligible to sit the Zanzibar National Primary Examination if he has completed primary education and has at least a school attendance rate of 75% during the final year of primary.

The Zanzibar National Primary Examination is a written examination, administered face-to-face and delivered through paper-pencil tests. All test-takers are presented with the same cognitive booklets or tests, which are aligned with the national curriculum.

The Zanzibar National Primary Examination serves the following purposes:

- student certification for completion of primary education

- student selection to higher education programmes or admission into specific courses or tracks

- promoting competition among schools

- monitoring education quality levels

The Zanzibar National Primary Examination accommodates visually impaired students by providing test materials in braille and separate examination rooms with specialist invigilators.

Census (all students at the given grades or ages)

Results are reported at the student, school, sub-national and national levels. Data are disaggregated by geographic location (urban and rural).

Examination results are published in reports that are available in print. The results are also broadcasted on the radio and the achievements of the best students are published in the media.