Tanzania to increase enrollment of science students in next seven years

DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian education authorities said on Tuesday that they intend to increase the number of students in science programs in higher education institutions from 40,000 in 2020 to 106,000 in 2026.

Omary Kipanga, the deputy minister of Education, Science and Technology, told the parliament in the Tanzanian capital of Dodoma that the increase in science students will be undertaken under the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) project.

Kipanga said the HEET program is aimed at improving infrastructure in over 14 higher education institutions that will go in tandem with the enrollment of science students.

He told the House that 290 syllabuses and 831 lectures will, respectively, be reviewed and trained under the HEET program.

Kipanga said 14 higher education institutions from Tanzania mainland and Tanzania's Zanzibar will benefit from the 425-million-U.S.-dollar HEET program.

"The HEET program aims to strengthen the learning environment, ensure greater alignment of priority degree programs to labor market needs, and improve the management of the higher education system," he said.

Through the program, Kipanga said, participating universities will modernize over 260 academic programs within priority areas, with over 100,000 students benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning.