Review education sector status, varsities told

The Minister for Education and Vocational Training Dr Shukuru Kawambwa this week directed the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) to conduct a study the current status of the Five-Year Development Plan 2011/2016 for education sector. The plan recommends all universities and other higher learning institutions to attain the demand by expanding their intake starting from 2011. Kawambwa was speaking at a closing ceremony of the 9^th higher learning institutions exhibitions on Friday last week. He said various statistics on requirements for human recourses suggest more access to education sector for Tanzanians must be created. “Universities and higher learning institutions have had a big role to play in attaining this demand by expanding their intake in order to reach the target of the 2011-2016 Development Plans in education sector.” The plan indicates specific targets including 26,000 physical scientists, 88,000 architects and engineers, 22,000 life scientists and 64,000 medical, dental and veterinary scientists, 30,000 economics related professionals and 32,000 teachers and 130,000 managerial workers. On this year’s exhibition, Kawambwa said at least 66 universities and higher institutions had participated from different countries including Kenya, Turkey, Uganda Zimbabwe, India, China, United State and Dubai. He said China had enabled 20 local universities to participate and exhibit their programmes during such exhibitions that have shown strong collaboration between foreign and local exhibitors that will also be a catalyst linkage among higher education institutions. “The government will also continue to support higher education institutions to achieve desired goals in science, technology and innovation,” he said. On his part, TCU chairperson Prof Awadhi Mawenya said this year’s event is themed ‘Learning National Revelopment Through Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.”  The committee chairperson, Dr Naomi Gatunzi said this education exhibition has enabled visitors including prospective candidates for higher education to get an opportunity to share ideas and views on activities offered by those institutions. She said that the 9^th exhibition had become a venue for open debate where high schools and university students shared ideas on selected topics.