Secondary School Teachers’ Awareness, Perceptions, and Readiness for AI Integration in Tanzanian Education: Aligning with National Policies and Strategies

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping educational landscapes globally, yet secondary school teachers in many sub-Saharan African nations remain insufficiently prepared to integrate these technologied into their pedagogical practices. This study examines secondary school teachers’ awareness, perceptions, and readiness for AI integration in Tanzanian education, with specific attention to the alignment of teacher dispositions with national policy frameworks, including the National Digital Educational Strategy (2021–2031) and the National AI in Education Guidelines (2023). Employing a mixed-methods research design, the study gathered primary data from 342 secondary school teachers across three strategically selected regions: Morogoro, Mwanza, and Lindi. Quantitative data were obtained through structured questionnaires, whilst qualitative insights were elicited via semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions conducted between January and June 2026. Findings reveal that whilst a majority of teachers (68.4%) had heard of AI, fewer than a third (29.1%) demonstrated substantive understanding of AI applications relevant to education. Teachers from urban schools in Mwanza exhibited comparatively higher awareness levels than their rural counterparts in Lindi. Attitudinal analysis indicates cautious optimism, with 57.3% expressing interest in adopting AI tools, though significant barriers including inadequate infrastructure, limited training, and poor awareness of government initiatives remain pervasive. The study concludes with targeted recommendations for teacher professional development, policy implementation, and inter regional resource equity. These findings contribute to the emerging corpus of empirical literature on AI readiness in sub Saharan African education systems.