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Concern as thousands of varsity students drop out annually
Some 2,319 students were discontinued from university studies in Tanzania in 2023/24, mostly due to poor academic performance. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- In the 2023/24 academic year alone, 3,025 students dropped out of universities in Tanzania
Dar es Salaam. Despite performing well at lower levels of education, a large number of Tanzanian university students’ drop out of their studies, with thousands being discontinued every year, The Citizen has learnt.
Fresh data from the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) paints a concerning picture. In the academic year 2023/24 alone, 3,025 students dropped out of university institutions. Of those, a staggering 2,319 were discontinued, mostly due to poor academic performance.
This trend is not new. Over the past five years, 8,814 students have dropped out of university studies across the country. According to the 2024 TCU VitalStats, 2,767 students dropped out in 2019/20, 3,640 in 2021/22, 2,839 in 2022/23 and 3,025 in 2023/24.
Most of the discontinued students are in public universities, which saw 2,145 discontinuations in 2023/24, compared to just 174 in private universities.
“This is a serious concern for our higher education sector. We are losing a significant portion of young people who would have become experts and innovators in various sectors,” university lecturer and education policy analyst Joyce Nyang’anyi said on Thursday.
She added that this trend affects the country’s future workforce and development goals. “Each student who drops out represents a loss in potential contribution to national development and problem-solving capacity,” Dr Nyang’anyi said.
According to TCU, dropout reasons include discontinuation due to academic failure, deregistration often linked to disciplinary or financial issues, abscondment and death.
Bachelor’s degree students are the most affected. In 2023/24, 2,385 Bachelor-level students dropped out. Of those, 1,862 were from public institutions and 523 from private universities.
The Education, Science and Technology ministry recently directed universities to investigate why so many students are being discontinued despite having good performance in primary and secondary education.
According to education stakeholders, the issue goes beyond university challenges.
“There’s a system-wide problem that begins in lower levels of education,” education consultant Joseph Mwangoka said.
“We’ve created an environment where passing exams is more important than understanding content. Many students arrive at university unprepared for academic independence.”
Mw Mwangoka added that once in university, students face challenges they weren’t trained to handle. “Time management, critical thinking, research – these skills are not built in a cram-pass system,” he said.
Another issue is economic hardship, especially among students relying on loans from the Higher Education Students' Loans Board (HESLB).
“HESLB cannot fund every eligible applicant. Many students either delay reporting to campus or drop out entirely when they fail to secure loans. Others who join without full support struggle with basics like accommodation and food, which affects their academic performance,” Mr Mwangoka noted.
Pressure also comes from family expectations, social media influence and mental health struggles. “University life today is much more demanding,” said a third-year student at Mzumbe University, Ms Asha Selemani.
“Some of my friends dropped out not because they were not smart, but because they couldn’t handle the emotional stress and lack of support.”
Others point to rising cases of substance abuse and lack of mentorship within universities. “We admit thousands every year, but offer very little in the way of academic counselling or mental health services,” said a senior administrator at the Institute of Financial Management (IFM), who requested anonymity.
Experts believe the solution must be multi-layered, beginning with reforms at lower levels of education.
“We must move away from a results-only culture in primary and secondary schools. “Let’s build learners who think, not just pass,” Dr Nyang’anyi said.
Financial support is another critical piece.
Mr Mwangoka argued that more funds should be channeled to HESLB to allow more students to complete their studies. “Let’s invest in human capital. If we don’t support students now, we will pay for it later in the form of unskilled labour.”
Universities also need early academic warning systems that can track struggling students. “We need regular assessments, peer support and tutor-led interventions before it’s too late,” said the IFM administrator.
Mental health support is also essential. Establishment of fully-equipped counseling units and mentorship programs could help students manage the pressure. “We need safe spaces on campuses for students to open up,” Ms Selemani said.
Curriculum review is also necessary to ensure students are not overwhelmed with unrealistic academic loads. Several stakeholders have expressed that overloaded courses can easily frustrate students, especially those who do not have strong academic foundations.
In the end, the dropout trend is not just a university issue—it’s a national one. “We can’t afford to keep losing over 3,000 university students every year. That’s a blow to our vision of becoming a middle-income, knowledge-driven economy,” Dr Nyang’anyi warned.
