Making the Invisible Visible: A Systems Approach to Transforming Inclusive Education in Tanzania through HEET Project
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Inclusive education; higher education; disability; HEET Project; systemic transformation; assistive technology.##article.abstract##
Before the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) Project, students with disabilities in Tanzanian higher education experienced systemic statistical invisibility, with national records reporting virtually no disaggregated data. This study examined the HEET Project's early impact on inclusive education across 19 Tanzanian universities, assessing whether a large-scale intervention can catalyze durable institutional transformation. Grounded in the social model of disability, the study employed a mixed-methods analysis of implementation reports (2021–2024), covering policy, capacity building, enrolment, infrastructure and curriculum reform. Findings show substantial progress as 89.5% of institutions developed inclusive policies, over 1,350 staff received training (mean coverage 36.7%) and enrolment of students with disabilities increased more than threefold, from 1,037 to 3,068. However, persistent challenges remain, including acute shortages of assistive devices, marked inter-institutional disparities (staff training ranging from 86% to 7%), severe underrepresentation of students with mental health conditions (<1%) and reliance on time-bound project funding. While the HEET Project has successfully centralized the inclusion agenda, sustained transformation requires institutionalized financing, strengthened regulatory enforcement and integration of inclusion into core governance systems.
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