CURBING corruption in higher learning financing systems is a long term effort that must be given strategic importance and adequate resources.
This was said yesterday by the Deputy
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and
Technology, Professor Simon Msanjila, during the Annual Conference and
General Meeting of the Association of African Higher Education Agencies
in Dar es Salaam, where he was also the chief guest.
He said that the government has taken
stern measures to all universities and colleges that in one way or the
other collude and uses higher education loans to ghost students.
The meeting, which was attended by
several higher learning Chief Executive Officers from several African
countries, also brought together stakeholders from the education sector.
“Take stern measures to ensure your
agencies are graft free environment as you manage and administer higher
education loans, scholarships and bursaries,” said the PS.
He said that the challenges to higher
education financing are enormous, and therefore urged participants to
put their thoughts together and find solutions to eminent problems
facing African countries.
He further said that a strong linkage
and cooperation is needed between the higher education loan boards,
universities, employment sector, tax authorities, credit bureaus,
national identity authorities, immigration departments, employers
associations and banking systems if the loans issued are to be repaid on
timely fashion.
On his part, Pius Makomelelu, on behalf
of Hakielimu Director, said that problems surrounding the financing of
higher education institutions are worldwide though the problem is more
intense in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He said the reason for such increased
challenges in the region includes the increased per unit cost of higher
education and the pressure for increased enrollments particularly where
high birth rates are coupled with a rapidly increased young people
finishing secondary schools with aspirations for tertiary education.
“Delegates, many governments and parents
cannot guarantee sustainable funding to the youth population dreaming
of higher education,” he said.
The Ghana Students Loan Trust Fund Chief
Executive Officer, Mrs Sheilla Naah-Boamah, said that as stakeholders
in education they must continue to use such platforms to draw attention
to some of the issues that are barriers to loan access, including the
ever increasing cost of obtaining higher education for the African
student .
She said that available research
continues to confirm that people with higher education will earn at
least 60 percent more than their colleagues who terminate at the high
school level.
“The solution to eradicating poverty
will, therefore, be hinged strongly on our ability to progress from
enviable basic school enrollments rates achieved under the MDGs to
sustaining such enrollment through to higher levels that travels not
only beyond high school but also responds to the needs of the labor
market,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of the Tanzania
Standard (Newspapers) Limited (TSN) who are part of the sponsors of the
meeting, the company’s Head of Research, Innovation and Documentation,
Ms Ichikaeli Maro, said accessing funding was central to getting quality
training both within and outside – and, therefore, the objective of
AAHEFA is of utmost importance to young Tanzanians, including upcoming
journalists.
“TSN will be a keen observer of your
deliberations agreed at the end of your meeting -- because the current
and future journalists, just like any other professionals in the
country, demands that they become highly trained in all fields of life,”
she said
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