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Varsities challenged to adhere to central roles
2008-03-18 09:44:06
By Correspondent Michael Haonga,Iringa
The government has challenged universities in the country to stick to their core roles in imparting education with a view to accelerating the country`s pace to get experts in various fields.
The challenge was thrown by Education and Vocational Training minister Professor Jumanne Maghembe when inaugurating a regional centre building of the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) in Iringa yesterday.
``Universities in the country should exploit their strategic advantage in coming up with not just certificate, diploma or degree holders but also of high quality,`` said Professor Maghembe.
Minister Maghembe said already some stakeholders in the education sector had shown interest in introducing distance learning programmes under which students in remote parts of the country could get education right where they were through the use of electronic means such as telephones and television sets.
The minister paid tribute to OUT`s achievements since its establishment in 1992, saying: ``In less than 20 years OUT has almost reached 40,000 intake, being the university with the highest student intake in the country``.
OUT board chairman Professor Simon Mbilinyi said the university had taken eight measures to improve the studying environment for students including improving the infrastructure, such as effecting a land use plan that has seen the university acquire a105-hectare piece of land at Kibaha, in Coast Region, where permanent headquarters are to be built.
Presently the university has its interim headquarters at Kinondoni in Dar es Salaam.
He mentioned other measures taken as using modern methods of learning (E-learning) as well as publishing more books and employing competent lecturers from within and outside the country.
Earlier, OUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Tolly Mbwette said the university, in cooperation with other higher learning institutions, would from this September introduce a degree programme in journalism.
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