THE Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has called on higher education institutions implementing the Higher Education for Economic Reforms Project (HEET) to ensure that the project is executed based on the government objectives of providing youths with skills and knowledge to enable them meet labour market requirements, including employing themselves.
The call was made over the weekend by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Francis Michael during the signing of HEET Project grant agreement between the ministry and higher education institutions under the Ministry of Finance and Planning.
Dr Michael said that the project is expected to bring major reforms in higher education by preparing young people who can compete in local and international labour markets or become self employed.
“President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the World Bank want to see this project helping young people to acquire skills and knowledge that will help them to become self-employed or being employed … let us ensure that this project yields the intended outcomes,” Dr Michael said.
On his part, Project Coordinator from the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Mr Amani Ngedu expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the World Bank for facilitating the implementation of such huge project for higher education institutions.
He added that, the cooperation between the two ministries will help in managing the implementation of the project.
Mr Ngedu said the education institutions under the Ministry of Finance and Planning that benefit from the project are the Institute of Financial Management (IFM), Institute of Rural Development Planning (IRDP), The Eastern Africa Statistical Training Centre (EASTC), Tanzania Institute of Accountancy (TIA) and Institute of Accountancy Arusha (IAA).
HEET is a five-year project through the World Bank support aimed at promoting higher education as a catalytic force in the new Tanzanian economy.
The project will help strengthen the capacity and quality of selected universities and institutes to prepare faculties, researchers and graduates to build a strong and flexible, high skilled workforce that can address Tanzania’s development challenges.
Through the project the government will construct a new public university in Butiama – Mwalimu Nyerere University of Agriculture and Technology with capacity to enrol 5,620 students.
New campuses will be built through the project such as University of Dar es Salaam campus in Lindi region to accommodate 360 students, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences Mloganzaila campus with capacity of 11,000 students and Sokoine University of Agriculture Mizengo Pinda campus in Katavi with capacity of 2,500 students.
Others are Mbeya University of Science and Technology campus in Rukwa with 3,000 students’ capacity.
The project will also facilitate construction of new campuses in marginal satellite cities including Kagera, Tanga, Kigoma, Shinyanga, Mwanza, Simiyu, Ruvuma, Manyara and Singida and improve a total of 19 higher education institutions by constructing 34 hostels which will have capacity of accommodating 9,042 students.
A total of 130 lecture rooms will be built under the project which will accommodate (27,254), laboratories (7,850), 23 conference halls, agriculture infrastructure and 10 incubation centres.
