AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Ministry of Education, Science and Technology yesterday presented budget estimates for the 2020/2021 financial year, outlining several priorities that include increasing admission and funding for higher education as well as improving the teaching and learning environment.
Presenting the budget in Parliament, Minister Prof Joyce Ndalichako (pictured) urged the National Assembly to approve 1.35trn/-budget out of which 2.24bn/-is for an autonomous national Commission for UNESCO organisation.
At least 54,000 prospective undergraduate students will benefit from over 199.8bn/- budget, allocated by the High Education Students’ Loan Board (HESLB) for the coming academic year. The figures have jumped from 49,799 students who received funding worth over 173.2bn/-in the 2019/20 fiscal year.
HESLB, according to the minister, is determined to collect 190bn/-from its beneficiaries. During the ending financial year, she said, HESLB received 450bn/-and had so far disbursed 99.9 per cent or 449.99bn/-to benefit 132,119 students. The ministry categorically hinted that there will be more enrollments in public institutions.
The institutions and expected admissions in brackets, include University of Dodoma (UDOM—31,604), University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM—29,056), Mzumbe University (5,864), Dar es salaam University College of Education (DUCE—1,900) and Mkwawa College of Education (MUCE—6,635).
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA—4,845), Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS—4,500), Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy (9,389), Moshi Co-operative University (MoCU—4,415), Open University of Tanzania (OUT—16,650), Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST –125), Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT—2,400), Mbeya University of Science and Technology (MUST—7,150), and Ardhi University (5,255).
The minister explained that the government will be implementing a number of programs, including Education Programme for Results—EP4R and Education Skills for Productive Jobs (ESPJ) to improve learning infrastructures and provision of grants to youth to gain necessary proficiency.
“Other projects include supporting teacher training colleges, constructing and building classrooms, libraries, laboratories and toilets,” she said.
“We plan to increase housing for civil servants and hostels.” Tanzania Education Authority (TEA), according to the minister, will support the construction of 180 classrooms in 50 primary schools and 10 secondary schools.
It will also build 100 residential houses for teachers in 25 schools and finance construction of 15 hostels that will benefit 1,200 students.
As the public tertiary institutions plan to accommodate 129,788 new students for various courses, data released by the minister also indicated that only 90,182 students will be seating for their high secondary national examination in 2020/21.
“Tanzania Library Service Board will be constructing new libraries in Singida, Shinyanga, Simiyu and Dodoma regions and others in Chato and Bagamoyo districts,” the minister said in her speech in the National Assembly.
