Dr. Bilal made the challenge when addressing the ongoing 6th Higher Education Forum and Exhibition 2014 in Arusha.
Organised by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training in association with the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU), Committee of Vice- Chancellors and Principals, Tanzania (CVCPT) and the Higher Education Students Loan Board (HESLB), the three day Higher Education Forum is themed:
‘Higher Education Beyond 2015 Millennium Development Goals: What next?”
The VP said that Tanzania and the rest of East Africa, needs competent graduates equipped with the skills and know how to create jobs for themselves and others.
“It will be of more value if local universities produce graduates who actually get to help solve the country’s unemployment problems rather than worsening the situation,” he said.
He told the gathering that the government is in the process of overhauling the country’s education system to comply with current technical advances and the process will include making the students more self-reliant instead of focusing white collar employment seekers.
On his part, Prof. Mayunga Nkunya, Executive Secretary for the Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) stated that despite their joint population of nearly 130 million residents, the five East African member states have only managed to place 1.7 million students to higher learning institutions.
“This is a mere 6.2 percent penetration into the tertiary level of education for our people,” he decried noting that the value is lower than the rest of sub-Saharan African that averages at 7 per cent.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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