International School of Zanzibar International School of Zanzibar The International School of Zanzibar (founded in 1988) is a private international school located on the island of Zanzibar, Tanzania. It hosts students from over 20 countries, ages 2–16, from pre-kindergarten, to Year 12. The official language, and language of instruction of this school, is English. The academic program is based on the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education, the IGCSE. Currently, there are about 200 students enrolled in the school, from many different countries. The International School of Zanzibar (ISZ) was founded by parents from foreign countries as a play area for their children.
History of Zanzibar Portuguese Empire was the first European power to gain control of Zanzibar, and kept it for nearly 200 years. In 1698, Zanzibar fell under the control of the Sultanate of Oman, which developed an economy of trade and cash crops, with a ruling Arab elite and a Bantu general population. Plantations were developed to grow spices; hence, the moniker of the Spice Islands (a name also used of Dutch colony the Moluccas, now part of Indonesia). Another major trade good was ivory, the tusks of elephants that were killed on the Tanganyika mainland - a practice that is still in