Tanzania doubles higher education loan budget
DAR ES SALAAM: THE government has increased the higher education loan budget from 464bn/- in the 2020/21 financial year to 926.7bn/- in 2025/26.
The minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda made the announcement in Dar es Salaam noting that the move is one of the government’s continued efforts to make major investments in the construction and improvement of education infrastructure, as well as expanding learning opportunities at various levels.
Elaborating, he said that the government aims at empowering youth to fully meet the demands and challenges of the 21st-century job market.
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Additionally, he said that the government continues to offer scholarships to students who excel in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), ICT, and nuclear science through the Samia Scholarship and Samia Scholarship Extended programs.
He also said that under the implementation of the Samia Scholarship Extended DS/AI+ program, 50 youth who will study Data Science, including Artificial Intelligence are undergoing preparations at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha before proceeding to study abroad.
Speaking on technical education, he said that the government has constructed new VETA colleges in the regions of Geita, Simiyu, Njombe, and Rukwa, while construction of the Songwe Regional VETA College and 64 district VETA colleges is ongoing across the country.
He further revealed that the construction of the Polytechnic College in Dodoma Region has been completed, and preparations are underway to begin building similar colleges in the regions of Mwanza, Kigoma, Mtwara, Morogoro, and Zanzibar.
