Samia Scholarship takes 150 students to Algeria
DAR ES SALAAM: ALGERIA has offered 150 university study opportunities to Tanzanian students under the Samia Scholarship programme, covering their tuition fees while Tanzania meets their living expenses.
The beneficiaries are among 1,000 students selected under the programme to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) studies.
Speaking to journalists yesterday in Dar es Salaam, Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adolf Mkenda, said the 150 students have been selected based on academic performance from the remaining beneficiaries.
He said 10 students had already been removed from the original list after securing opportunities to study at RUDN University in Moscow, Russia, leaving 990 students.
“We have received a scholarship offer from the friendly country of Algeria. We have been given 150 study opportunities for 150 students to study in Algeria,” Prof Mkenda said.
He said selection did not require Advanced Mathematics, thus giving students from different science combinations, including Physics, Chemistry and Biology (PCB), an opportunity to qualify.
The selected students will spend one year learning French before starting university studies because French is widely used as a language of instruction in Algeria.
Prof Mkenda said students who did not wish to travel to Algeria or learn French would not be forced to accept the offer. Their places would instead be given to the next students on the academic performance list.
He said the Ministry would publish the names of successful students on its website and contact them by telephone.
Speaking to the Daily News, Tanzania’s Ambassador to Algeria, Mr Mobhare Matinyi, said the number of Tanzanian students admitted by Algeria had increased significantly this year.
“Last year Algeria received 45 Tanzanian students, but this year, through the Samia Scholarship programme supervised by the Ministry of Education, they are receiving 150,” he said.
Amb Matinyi said the increase reflected strengthening cooperation between Tanzania and Algeria in education, expressing hope that more opportunities would be created in future.
He said Tanzania had requested additional training opportunities in scientific fields, including agriculture, health, data science and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Prof Mkenda said the government was committed to ensuring that highperforming students from low-income families, including children of farmers and pastoralists, benefited from scholarship opportunities.
He said the government would also continue pursuing partnerships with other countries to expand access to international higher education, particularly in STEM fields. The selection and preparation process is expected to begin immediately, with Algeria requiring the names of beneficiaries by September 15.
Prof Mkenda said the international opportunities would expose Tanzanian students to different learning environments and help develop highly skilled professionals capable of contributing to national development.
