Diploma Teacher – Early Childhood Development

Employer: Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) / Madrasa Early Childhood Programme (MECP)
Sector: Social Development
Location: Zanzibar, Tanzania
Job Type: Full-Time
Posted: September 2026

About the Agency

The Madrasa Early Childhood Programme (MECP), an affiliate of the Aga Khan Foundation, was established in East Africa in the 1980s to improve access to and the quality of Early Childhood Care and Development services in marginalised communities across coastal Kenya, Zanzibar, and Uganda.

As a locally rooted organisation with an entirely local staff, MECP has been working to promote affordable, high-quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes for more than four decades.

MECP works with key stakeholders to deliver ECD interventions for children aged 0–8. The programme works closely with governments to strengthen the delivery of quality ECD interventions, with a focus on supporting frontline education and health workers and influencing ECD policy and practice, including quality teacher training.

To date, MECP has trained more than 8,000 teachers and reached over 1 million children. Its technical expertise covers teacher capacity development, curriculum design, community engagement, and programme evaluation. MECP graduates have progressed to higher levels of education, while more than 10,000 people have gained employment as ECD teachers, head teachers, caregivers, and community development workers.

The Position

The Diploma Teacher will support the delivery of diploma-level teacher education at the Madrasa Teacher Training College.

The successful candidate will be responsible for preparing student teachers to apply the Competency-Based Curriculum through child-centred, play-based, inclusive, and gender-responsive teaching approaches.

The role includes teaching, assessment, curriculum and learning material development, student mentoring, supervision of teaching practice, and participation in academic quality assurance.

The position will contribute to MECP-Zanzibar’s efforts to strengthen the preparation of new diploma-level ECD and Inclusive Education educators and develop teachers who can effectively support diverse learners, including children with disabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver assigned diploma-level courses.
• Prepare schemes of work, lesson plans, and teaching materials.
• Use competency-based, learner-centred, and participatory teaching approaches.
• Assess student teachers and provide constructive feedback.
• Supervise teaching practice and practical placements.
• Mentor and coach student teachers.
• Contribute to curriculum review and development.
• Integrate gender-responsive and inclusive pedagogy into teaching.
• Develop contextualised and low-cost learning materials.
• Participate in academic meetings, quality assurance, and institutional development.
• Support research, innovation, and professional learning activities.

Requirements

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Development, Education, Pre-Primary Education, or a related field.
• Postgraduate qualification in ECD or Education is an added advantage.

Experience and Knowledge

• Relevant teaching and/or teacher-training experience.
• Knowledge of Early Childhood Development pedagogy and the Competency-Based Curriculum.
• Good understanding of child-centred and play-based learning.
• Experience in any of the following areas is an added advantage:
  • Early Childhood Development
  • Competency-Based Curriculum
  • Gender-responsive pedagogy
  • Safeguarding
  • Disability inclusion
  • Universal Design for Learning
  • Teacher education
  • Curriculum development

Skills and Competencies

• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Fluency in English.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and mentoring skills.
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to work with people with diverse competencies and backgrounds.
• Ability to multitask and demonstrate critical thinking.
• Knowledge and experience in monitoring and evaluation (M&E).
• Strong ICT skills and experience using Microsoft Office and emerging software applications.

Diversity, Inclusion and Safeguarding

The successful candidate will be expected to ensure that MECP’s pluralistic values are demonstrated both internally and externally.

All programmes should be respectful and inclusive of people from diverse backgrounds, including differences in socio-economic status, religion, ethnicity, culture, gender, age, and disability.

Employees are expected to act ethically and uphold safeguarding standards towards all staff, volunteers, beneficiaries, children, and vulnerable adults served by the organisation.

MECP-Zanzibar is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. All staff and partners are expected to share this commitment.

Application Requirements

Interested candidates are requested to submit:

• Cover letter
• Updated CV
• Contact details of three references

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their applications through the official Aga Khan Development Network recruitment portal.

CLICK/TAP HERE TO APPLY:

Applicants should follow the instructions provided on the official recruitment portal when submitting their applications.