Japan donates textbooks to DUCE

THE Embassy of Japan in Tanzania has donated textbooks to the Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE) as part of efforts to cement bilateral cooperation in the education sector between the two countries.

The textbooks which were donated under the project dubbed ‘Read Japan’ are also meant to enhance students’ clear understanding of Japanese culture and history.

Japan’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Yasushi Misawa said the donation also aimed at supporting academic development for researchers, students and intellectuals to broaden their knowledge of Japan.

“The aim is to promote understanding of both Japan-specialists and non-specialists that thereby contribute to human resource development from a long-term perspective,” he said.

DUCE is the third university which joins this project in Tanzania, after the University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Dodoma received books in 2011.

Principal of DUCE Prof Stephen Maluka commended Japan for the donation, assuring the college’s commitment to promote international collaboration.

He was optimistic that the books will help DUCE to effectively fulfil its role of improving the education sector, as championed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

“The books will make a noble addition to the reading collection of our library as a result of enabling students and researchers to broaden their understanding on multiple issues,” he noted.

The Read Japan Project was initiated by the Nippon Foundation in 2008 to promote understanding of Japan through donation of Japan-related books in English to universities and libraries around the world.

The project is administered by the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research with financial support from the Nippon Foundation.