HIGHER learning students in Dar es Salaam have received a huge accommodation relief after the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) handed over its 32 high-rise buildings to some colleges as hostels.
The new buildings located at Mtoni Kijichi will help address shortage of hostels for college students across the city where many students are forced to rent houses outside their universities.
The handover took place at the weekend with five colleges allocated with the apartments. They are Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE), Institute of Finance Management (IFM), Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT), Tanzania Institute of Accountants (TIA), Tanzania Centre for Foreign Relations (CFR) and Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy.
Out of 32 buildings, DUCE will take five buildings which can accommodate 696 students, IFM will get six buildings to accommodate 144 students and other 10 buildings will be under the TIA with the capacity to accommodate 1,165 students.
NSSF said it has allocated one building to the CFR for its 96 students and the Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy would acquire nine buildings for 1,398 students.
NSSF Director General, Mr William Erio attributed the successful completion of the project to directives from the President John Magufuli and Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.
“Directives from these two leaders have also enabled to get students from the higher learning institutions as first customers for renting,” Mr Erio stated.
According to Mr Erio, the NSSF also has houses that are appropriate for lecturers and other public servants; hence he urged the managements of the universities to utilise those houses.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony, Education, Science and Technology Minister Prof Joyce Ndalichako noted that the buildings would address accommodation challenges facing the students.
Prof Ndalichako urged other institutions to follow on the NSSF example by supporting the education sector. She said lack of accommodation among higher learning students was a serious problem, with a large percentage of the students forced to live outside universities’ campuses.
Prof Ndalichako insisted that the government cared for students as vindicated by its decision to offer the buildings to higher learning institutions. On her part, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs), Ms Jenista Mhagama, said the government would ensure the existing high demands for students hostels become history in the country. She said the houses should benefit students of all social statuses.
Chairman of NSSF Board of Trustees, Ambassador Ali Siwa, said the whole project at the area involves a total of 64 towers with 720 storeys.
