Call for the Social Welfare Ministry to provide funds for its stalled ISW projects

DAR ES SALAAM: THE Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Welfare and Development has urged the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women, and Special Groups to support by providing funds to complete ongoing projects at the Institute of Social Welfare (ISW), including the construction of a hall.

Speaking when the committee visited the Institute today in Dar es Salaam and inspected the project being constructed with local revenues, the Vice Chairperson of the Committee, Dr Regina Malima, said that they commend the institution because, apart from its academic responsibilities, it has shown great efforts in collaborating with the community by providing education and empowerment in various fields.

She said the project needs to be urgently reviewed, and improvements are needed to ensure that the building becomes friendly to all people, including people with disabilities, as not doing so will be against the goal of equality in education.

“We have also witnessed the determination of the committee members and all parliamentarians to ensure that the ministry intervenes where the institution lacks the capacity to carry out some of its responsibilities. The projects being implemented seem to take a long time, with most resources being directed towards research and academic activities. Therefore, it is important to have a national discussion to find a common solution that will raise the standards of education.

She said that so far the construction has reached more than 80 percent, which is very commendable, where the completion of this building will improve the learning environment for students and increase the quality of educational services provided by this institution.

In addition to these achievements, the Committee has also advised the institution to ensure that the infrastructure takes into account the needs of all groups, especially people with disabilities, to provide equal opportunities for all students.

“In addition, we have seen efforts to use local funds in the implementation of this project, which is encouraging. However, we have insisted on the Ministry to ensure that where challenges arise, especially financial ones, appropriate measures are taken promptly to ensure that this project is completed as planned.

For his part, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr John Jingu, said they will conduct a comprehensive assessment of all institutions in general. The goal is to identify areas of deficiency so that we can improve and strengthen these desks so that they can work more effectively.

“Another issue is about the budget, especially in supporting the completion of our building and other infrastructure, including staff houses, housing in areas like Ngerengere. We want to see a better living environment for staff. Its implementation depends on the existing budget limit.

The Dean of the College of Social Welfare, Dr Joyce Nyoni, said the construction costs of this project are 666.4m/-, where the source of income is internal to the institution and is expected to be completed on May 31, 2025.

“The lecture hall construction project has the capacity to accommodate 400 students, a project that will enable us to increase enrollment by more than 17 percent, improve the teaching and learning environment, as well as reduce congestion in existing halls.