Tanzania: World Bank issues $425m loan for quality in higher education

With a loan from the World Bank, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is set to spend USD 425m (over 90bn/-) in rolling out the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) programme. The five-year project to be financed by soft loan from the International Development Association (IDA), the soft loan window of the World Bank, is meant to promote higher education as a catalytic force in the new Tanzanian economy. Permanent Secretary Dr Leonard Akwilapo outlined the plan early this week at a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss a draft for environmental safety guidelines and the community in implementing HEET among beneficiary government institutions. He said the project is important as it would spur professional transformation countrywide, with its implementation starting at mid-year, focusing on strengthening the learning environment and labour market alignment of priority programmes. The programme is designed to expand capacity of 18 institutions to contribute to key areas, gearing for innovation, economic development and labour market relevance, he stated. The ministry is today holding another meeting for non-governmental institutions, aiming at obtaining stakeholders’ views for improvement of the project, he further noted. Dr Akwilapo said the project will respond to various challenges facing the education sector, expressing gratitude to the World Bank for sponsoring the project, in recognition of the country’s needs in the education sector. The project is meant to increase human resources for lecturers, librarians, laboratories, strengthening of teaching and learning infrastructures, integrating the curricula and establishing new programmes to enable people to be employed or self-employed, increasing student enrolment including foreign students, he elaborated. The project is also geared to improve students’ boarding systems in colleges by preferential allocation of space, where around 639 experts at bachelor’s degree level will be sponsored as part of efforts to increase enrolment in universities. “The programme will strengthen or establish 290 curriculum units and programmes relevant to the job market, refurbish infrastructures in 15 public higher learning institutions, 16 institutions under various ministries and procuring modern ICT equipment,” he specified