Varsities' Enrolment Set to Double By 2020

Nkrumah Hall at University of Dar es Salaam.

The government plans to raise university enrolment from the current 224,080 to 468,530 by 2020 to equip more students with skills to accommodate industrial development demands.

Moved by growing concern to transform the country into a middle income country through industrial-powered economy come 2025, the government is eying a Third Generation university facility with technology to catch up with the rest of the world.

Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training Minister, Professor Joyce Ndalichako, said at the launch of the 11th Exhibition on High Education, Science and Technology in Dar es Salaam yesterday, that Tanzania has a huge task ahead to achieve full industrialisation.

The minister explained that the plan to increase access and equity would be in line with improving the quality of education, a pre-requisite for the national second five year development plan (FYDP II-2016/17- 2020/21).

In East and Sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania is ranked amongst countries with lowest higher education student gross enrolment as average stands at 6 per cent. In contrast, while in South Africa, where, for instance, annual enrolment in tertiary education stood at 18 per cent (about 900,000 students), Tanzania's enrolment rate is pegged at 3.3 per cent (some 224,080) students in the last academic year.

"The government is determined and committed to increase access to higher education while instituting effective quality assurance systems and mechanisms by raising the gross enrolment rates to 6.9 per cent by 2020," Prof Ndalichako said.

She pointed out that Tanzania will have 80,000 students graduating from higher education institutions, out of which 56 per cent must be graduates in science and engineering. According to the FYDP II document, the government is set to promote availability of requisite industrial skills including production, trade management, operations and quality assurance.

Education experts rushed to draw a conclusion that there has been an increase in the number of student enrolment in higher learning where the majority merely receives degree certificates. The same question raised an alarm to the East African Community (EAC) to move on to harmonise education in the region.

The plan is yet to be realised. Tanzania Commission of Universities (TCU) Acting Executive Secretary, Professor Eleuther Mwageni, said the commission was bringing together 55 local colleges and other post-school institutions as well as four foreign international institutions to link and forge partnerships with the aim of improving the quality of education.

"The government has done its part ... we're grateful with the continued support, which allows the TCU to create public awareness on matters related to tertiary education," he quipped.

St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) Vice-Chancellor, Dr Tadeus Mukamwa, emphasised that the role of universities in social and economic development in the country cannot be overemphasised. He underscored the fact that the institutions will be providing opportunities that will be linked to the current market demands.