Matemwe, Zanzibar — In the coastal village of Matemwe, North Unguja, a profound generational shift is underway, leaving many young people questioning the value of modern education and the loss of traditional community discipline. 

During a recent youth dialogue, participants expressed alarm over what they perceive as “a severe moral decline” and a growing disconnect between schooling and true education.

The discussion, recorded on April 11, 2026, and published on April 21, was part of the Dira Mtaani: Vijana Wanasemaje programme organised by The Chanzo in partnership with Twaweza East Africa. 

The session highlighted the complex challenges facing Zanzibar’s youth as they navigate a rapidly changing society.

A central theme of the dialogue was the distinction between acquiring academic qualifications and genuinely becoming educated. 

Participants argued that while more young people are attending school today, the quality of education and the moral grounding it provides have deteriorated significantly compared to previous generations.

READ MORE: “We Keep Our Dreams Secret”: How Corruption and Nepotism Stifle Youth Ambition in Zanzibar

“Our elders were more educated than even us,” asserted Ali Adam Mohamedi, a resident of Matemwe. “Even if we youth today go to study and get master’s, PhDs, diplomas, and degrees… our elders were educated because there is a saying: you can be educated without studying, and you can study without being educated.”

Mohamedi pointed out that an elder who only reached Form Four in the past often possesses more wisdom and capability than a modern university graduate. 

This sentiment reflects broader concerns about the declining standards of education in Tanzania, where increased enrolment has not always translated into improved learning outcomes or practical skills.

A fundamental shift

The youth in Matemwe identified a fundamental shift in how children are raised as a primary cause of the current moral decay. They lamented the loss of the traditional, community-based approach to child-rearing, where every adult played a role in guiding and disciplining the younger generation.

“In the past, our elders raised a child more socially,” one participant explained. “But right now, you only know how to give birth to a child; the upbringing doesn’t concern you.”

This shift is partly attributed to the early institutionalisation of children. Participants noted that children as young as two years old are now sent to “baby class” or nursery school, a practice they believe deprives them of crucial early bonding and moral instruction from their parents and extended family.

READ MORE:Dira Mtaani: Tanzania’s Youth at a Crossroads—Legitimate Hustle or Illicit Shortcut?

“A child of two years old goes to school… the mother’s milk hasn’t even left their mouth,” one young man observed. “So that the child matures, they shouldn’t be rushed to be sent to school. Because even those blessings of the parents’ sweat leave them early.”

The breakdown of trust within the community has further exacerbated this issue. Participants revealed that parents are increasingly reluctant to leave their children even with close relatives, such as grandparents, due to fears of witchcraft or malicious intent. 

Here is the English translation of your sentence, followed by the brief incorporation of key statistics from the report:

Zanzibar also faces a major problem of gender-based violence against children, which is largely perpetrated by relatives – a situation that gives parents and guardians fear and anxiety about leaving their children in the hands of others.

In its Tanzania Human Rights Report 2025, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) reported that in 2025, Zanzibar recorded 1,228 GBV/VAC cases, with children making up over 85 per cent of victims, and rape as the most common form (53.7 per cent). Most violence occurs in the child’s own home.

Corporal punishment debate

The dialogue also waded into the highly contentious issue of corporal punishment, a practice that remains deeply ingrained in Tanzanian schools despite ongoing campaigns by human rights organisations to ban it.

READ MORE:Dreams and Desperation: A Tale of Two Mbagalas 

While some participants viewed the cane (bakora) as an essential tool for instilling discipline and respect, others argued that it is increasingly ineffective and potentially harmful in the modern context.

“The cane is also a lesson to teach a child,” one participant argued. “This cane can make a child gentle and make them fear and respect you more.”

However, another participant countered that the effectiveness of corporal punishment depends heavily on the environment in which a child is raised. 

“I don’t give priority to the cane because it’s the environment of upbringing,” he said. “There should be a procedure now… a child should be given a limit of canes to be beaten based on the environment of the system we live in right now. Right now, we don’t live socially anymore; we live privately.”

This debate mirrors a broader national conversation. While the Tanzanian government has taken steps to regulate corporal punishment, such as banning teachers of lower grades from entering classrooms with canes, the practice remains lawful and widespread.

Research indicates that the use of physical punishment often destroys trust and shatters self-esteem, rather than fostering genuine discipline.

A generation adrift

The culmination of these educational and social shifts is a generation that many participants described as lacking patience, resilience, and direction. 

READ MORE:In Defence of Tradition: Youth Challenge Critics of Coastal Customs 

They noted that modern youth are quick to anger and struggle to handle criticism, a stark contrast to the stoicism expected of previous generations.

“The tolerance has become small, patience has become small,” one participant observed. “When you tell a child, when you scold them… in the past, it was normal for a child to be scolded. But right now, scold a child and see the disaster.”

Despite these challenges, the youth of Matemwe are not without hope. They called for a more proactive approach to education, one that begins with building awareness and providing clear career guidance from an early age.

“If I were a leader, I would establish a team that would go to schools to motivate students,” suggested one participant. 

“Introduce them to the opportunities available in their communities… so we build awareness for students so they can recognise and know, so they have that vision.”