Observe accountability, transparency in managing HEET funds, DUCE challenged
THE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam Prof William Anangisye has called for accountability and transparency in managing Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) funds donated at the Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE).
DUCE is among the 14 Higher Education Institutions in the country benefiting from the HEET projects being implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in collaboration with the World Bank.
The aim of the five-year project is to improve and transform the selected Higher Education Institutions to enable them have a hand in fostering the economic transformation in the country.
Out of 425 million US dollars unleashed for the entire project, DUCE has been allocated 8.0 million US dollars set to be utilised in among other things construction and rehabilitation of infrastructures around the institution.
“Make sure that every shilling which has been allocated for this important project is accounted for and channelled to execute its intended purpose,” Prof Anangisye said during the launch of the College Industrial Advisory Board held at DUCE main campus in Dar es Salaam recently.
Adding, he noted that the project will bring many fortunes of improving education standards to go along with the needs of the labour market of which, he stressed that it is very competitive hence requires well groomed graduands.
He also urged the appointed advisory board members to always thrive to establish good relationship with industries for the sake of knowing what qualities does industries demand from the learners.
“Your main function is to link DUCE and the industry on the execution of various responsibilities like curriculum development and through you, the institution is geared to understand needs and concerns of the marketplace,” he said.
Prof Anangisye hailed the government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan for taking necessary measures to improve the education sector in the country.
“Projects such as HEET are just among the efforts by government in partnership with development partners to enhance high quality education which go hand in hand with the provision of loans to needy students,” he remarked.
Earlier, DUCE Principal, Prof Stephen Maluka insisted that they are going to make sure that funds provided for the HEET project are well spent and ensure that there is value for money.
He then elaborated that aside from upgrading buildings at the institution, the college also intend to improve learning and teaching resources and equipments.
“We also target to upgrade both postgraduate and undergraduate programme curriculum related to science, technology and humanities which are related to the industrialisation agenda of the country,” Prof Maluka said.
Also, other lined up activities to be accomplished under HEET are establishment of state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure, enhancing online learning platform and digital technology applications, Igniting diversity concerns as well as Environment and social impact assessment.
