AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA Gemmological Centre (TGC) plans to start enrolling students who have a Standard VII certificate. TGC, which offers diploma and certificate programmes, enables graduates to become professional technicians with the capability to work in gem and jewelry industries.
It was enrolling students with Form IV and Form VI certificates only. The decision to start recruiting Standard Seven leavers was announced by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Minerals, Prof Simon Msanjila (PS), as the government seeks to have as many youths as possible who can be employed or self-employed.
The philosophy behind the development of the programmes at TGC is to produce innovative, creative, competent and flexible graduates who will make an impact on value addition activities in the country.
Prof Msanjila, who was launching the TGC board of directors in Arusha on Tuesday, called on TGC to review its teaching system and wanted it to change from committing itself to issuing certificates to seeing the youth adding value to minerals by identifying, testing, cutting and polishing.
The PS noted that the centre was established in 2003 specifically to engage the youth in house training on gem and rock carving to enhance value addition skills. The centre was known as Arusha Gemstone Carving Centre (AGCC) until 2009 when it was changed into Tanzania Gemmological Centre (TGC).
That was due to some gaps in the National Minerals Policy that led to changes in the objectives of the centre to include gemmology, lapidary and jewellery training.
It is registered under the National Council for Technical Education (Nacte).
“The board that I launch today should go and oversee the implementation of directives to prepare the youth who have completed primary education to be skilled in value addition. Stop enrolling only those who have made it to secondary school,” directed the PS.
TGS Board Chairman, Dr George Mofolu, said that was the first board for the centre and it would start with putting in place a strategic plan as well as direct itself in business, strengthen the centre so that it could contribute to the mining sector, especially in value addition and uplift the livelihoods of individuals and the nation at large.
