2025/2026 ACADEMIC YEAR: 1,000 scoop Samia scholarship

DODOMA: ABOUT 1,051 top-performing students from the Form Six examinations will benefit from the Samia Scholarship Programme. Notably, all students with disabilities who achieved Division One have secured this vital opportunity.

The number has almost doubled compared to 650 slots that were offered when the programme kicked off last year. The revelation was made at a news conference on Tuesday in Dodoma by the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adolph Mkenda.

According to the minister, in this financial year, the government allocated enough budget to accommodate students who were top in performance during their advanced level education in the results that were released by the National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA) recently.

What comes as good news is that students with disabilities have been granted top priority, provided that they scored division one of any points.

According to the minister, out of 1,051 students who will be granted scholarships, 51 slots have been spared for students with disabilities who got division one.

According to Prof Mkenda, the key qualifications for students to receive scholarships include achieving top marks in the Form Six examinations and having applied for admission to a university programme in science, ICT, mathematics, engineering, or medical sciences. Prof Mkenda emphasised that the selection process will be strictly merit-based, with no favouritism.

“Top performance will determine who earns this highly contested opportunity,” he stated.

He added that the list of successful applicants will be published on both the Ministry of Education’s website and the Higher Education Students Loans Board (HESLB) portal.

This financial year, about 50 students will receive additional scholarships to pursue studies abroad under the Samia Scholarship Extended Programme.

These scholarships will target advanced fields such as Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Computer Science and other related disciplines.

When presenting his ministry’s budget to parliament in May 2025, Prof Mkenda highlighted that the government, through the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, had launched a special scholarship initiative for top-performing Advanced Level (Form Six) science students.

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The programme aims to support undergraduate and postgraduate studies at leading universities worldwide. Named the Mama Samia 360 – DSP/AI+ programme, this initiative focuses on cutting-edge fields like data science, artificial intelligence and computer technology.

The Samia Scholarship Extended Programme will be implemented in three phases: A 10-month preparatory boot camp for Form Six graduates, securing university admission and scholarships at foreign institutions and further development of undergraduate graduates through partnerships with the Nelson Mandela Institution and an Indian university with a campus in Zanzibar.

Prof Mkenda reported that 100 applicants have already applied, with plans to award scholarships to 50 students. A budget allocation of 50 bn/- has been set aside for this endeavour.

The government will also continue funding students in nuclear science and invest in various research projects.

Furthermore, Tanzanians living abroad have been invited to participate in implementing the Samia Extended Scholarship (DS/SI+) programme.

Prof Mkenda extended this invitation during a virtual meeting with diaspora experts specialising in data science, artificial intelligence and computational science.

The ministry aims to leverage diaspora expertise to increase the number of Tanzanians skilled in modern technology fields.

Participants in the meeting praised the Samia Scholarship Extended (DS/SI+) programme and expressed readiness to support it by offering professional advice, identifying study opportunities for qualified candidate and providing training through various platforms.A