Majaliwa tells TCU to put its house in order

Dar es Salaam. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa yesterday told the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) to focus on fostering cooperation and nurturing the growth of private universities, not always finding fault with them.

Reiterating recent complaints by Retired President Benjamin Mkapa, the Prime Minister said the Commission should not divert its energies to suspending and shutting down universities.

The Prime Minister was speaking yesterday in Dar es Salaam where he officially opened the 14th Exhibition on Higher Education, Science and Technology.

The exhibition is themed ‘The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Industrial Skills Production’.

The Premier’s comments come barely two weeks after Mr Mkapa castigated the way TCU was treating private universities.

Mr Majaliwa (pictured) said it was time the Commission worked to reverse the negative perception from members of the public.

The PM said there was a general feeling that the main task of the TCU was to deregister universities, especially private institutions, instead of supporting them in resolving their challenges.

“As a country we must align our plans to cooperate with the private sector, which is an important stakeholder in the development of the higher education sector,” he said.

TCU executive secretary Charles Kihampa told The Citizen’s sister paper, Mwananchi, that the Commission recognises the contribution of private institutions in higher learning.

He said the fact that so far Tanzania had a total of 34 privately owned institutions against 15 publicly owned was testimony to TCU’s appreciation of private players in the sector.

“We have taken note of the Prime Minister’s remarks and we will work hard to ensure that we continue to develop partnerships with private institutions. We will continue to support them in various ways including training,” he said.

Speaking earlier this month when he graced the 20th anniversary of Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT, Mr Mkapa said expressed concern about the manner in which TCU was treating private universities.

The retired head of state said that TCU was usurping the role of university senates, especially of private universities.

“There is a tendency to create fear and discomfort among private universities. Instead of nurturing them, the TCU is threatening closure,” he said.