Africa-Press – Tanzania. A CHINESE based—Henan Agricultural Vocational College is considering setting up a training centre in Kongwa District Dodoma region for middle cadre professionals in agriculture and livestock development.
Minister for Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Prof Joyce Ndalichako said here on Wednesday that the college will collaborate with government authorities to implement the plan.
The Minister, who was in the district to inspect progress of various ongoing construction projects under her ministry said the new centre will increase the number of competent professionals in the country.
“We are hoping to build the training centre here in collaboration with our colleagues from Henan in China,” she said.
The new project will be a joint work between Henan and the country’s Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA).
The Minister stressed that the government is planning to embark on the construction of 1000 secondary schools across the country, an initiative that is expected to help to address the shortage of classrooms.
Early this week, the Minister of State President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Governments Selemani Jafo said that thousands of pupils who passed their Standard Seven national examinations this year will not all join secondary education next January due to insufficient classrooms. Mr Jafo said a total of 74,166 pupils have been scheduled for the end of February next year.
Dar es Salaam region topped others in the country with 14,926 pupils, a large number that will be under the wait list followed by Geita (9,572), Mara (7,809), Dodoma (7,145), Coast (6,888), Mbeya (5,549) and Kigoma (5,498). Others are Morogoro (4,686), Kilimanjaro (3,015), Arusha (2,768), Simiyu (1,837), Tanga (1,537), Iringa (907), Singida (674), Rukwa (564), Manyara (557) and Shinyanga (234). “Shortage of classrooms is becoming a serious problem. We want to end this crisis,” said Prof Ndalichako further directing the Tanzania Education Authority (TEA) to complete work on the construction of hostels at Kibaigwa Secondary school.
The Minister vowed that the government will take all possible measures to ensure the education infrastructures in the country are up to the required standards.
Explaining on the training centre in Kongwa, the VETA Director-General, Dr Pancras Bujulu said paper work has been completed and that after the government approval, the construction work will begin immediately.
National Assembly Speaker and Member of Parliament for Kongwa Mr Job Ndugai thanked the government and the vocational authority for putting up a training centre plan in the district.
He said a number of youngsters in the area and in the nearby communities will benefit from trainings that will be offered by the vocational centre notably agriculture and livestock, which are the key economic activities in the area.
