Ministry plans to engage diaspora in transforming science education

Dar es Salaam. The ministry of Education, Science and Technology is looking forward to developing partnership and collaboration between domestic and diaspora stakeholders in fostering science education for the sustainable development of Tanzania 2025-2050, it has been revealed.

This follows the government’s efforts to educate more Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholars to create required human resources for development. Additionally, the move intends to improve national development by fostering local innovation to address national problems and boosting the research capacity of local researchers. The mission is said to have come as the current amount of human resources created is still limited.

Furthermore, the nation’s research output has been extremely poor when compared to that of other low and middle income countries. Thus, the ministry must develop several national-led initiatives in order to address this and turn the tides.

In this regard, the ministry of Education requested Tanzania Academy of Science (TAAS), to organise a multi-stakeholder conference to get the STI stakeholders together to discuss and create networks to take up that challenge. As a result, today (December 15) through to December 17 a strategic meeting aimed at mobilising domestic and diaspora stakeholders to support the transformation of education and STI sectors for accelerating Tanzania’s Development and Achievement of UN Agenda 2030 has begun in Dar es Salaam.

Titled: Developing partnership and collaboration between domestic and diaspora stakeholders in fostering science education and STI for the sustainable development of Tanzania 2025-2050, the conference aims at mobilising resources and international funding to grow demand for students going to study STEM at local and international universities. This is because one of the objectives of the Third Five-Year National Development Plan (FYDP III) is to strengthen capacity building in the areas of science, technology and innovation to enhance competitiveness and productivity in all sectors especially the productive, manufacturing and services sectors. This, according to Prof Yunus Mgaya, TAAS’ president, would enable Tanzanians to benefit from the opportunities available within the country and outside.

In another development, The Citizen has also learnt that, in view of that, Prof Adolf Mkenda, minister for Education, Science and Technology has launched an initiative to network local academia and academic diaspora to create more STEM scholarships, research networks and net international funding in all this.

Prof Mgaya said that, “the move by the minister will increase the quality and competitiveness of Tanzania scientists, STI human capacity and strengthen research output.”

According to Prof Mgaya, through the conference they will be able to build and strengthen research and development linkages and networks, exchange of scientists and experts, and funding for graduate STI-based research.

“We want to facilitate and drive Knowledge, Technology, and Innovation, transfer and adaptation to raise national ability and technical capability to create the best for implementing Tanzania’s industrialization objectives,” he said in an interview ahead of today’s conference.

He revealed that the ministry of education also wanted to formulate for implementation possible strategies for Diaspora to power University – Industry linkage and collaboration.

“The mission will help us to facilitate technology transfer and uptake as well as to facilitate STI foresight, future strategizing and planning,” TAAS’ President further noted.