The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Leonard Akwilapo has called on the Higher Education Student Loan Board (HESLB) and the Community Development Fund (TASAF) to continue the existing partnership to ensure that needy Tanzanians with the right to join higher education are empowered.
Speaking in a speech read on his behalf by the Assistant Director of Human Resources of the Ministry, Sebastian Inoshi, during the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between HESLB and TASAF held today in Dodoma, Dr. Akwilapo said there is a need for government institutions to work together to reach out to the people and provide services.
Dr. Akwilapo added that it is the Government’s commitment to ensure that Tanzanians in need of access to higher education get loans and fulfill their dreams, and that there is a need for HESLB and TASAF to ensure that the agreement is implemented as expected.
“In this I would like to give you statistics, in 2019/2020, the Government provided TZS 450 Billion which benefited 132,392 students. This budget has increased to TZS 570 Billion this financial year 2021/2022 which will benefit 160,000 students “, said Dr. Akwilapo.
In addition Dr. Akwilapo urged HESLB and TASAF to speed up the integration of their ICT systems to facilitate the rapid and reliable identification of students from poor households.
For his part, HESLB Executive Director, Abdul-Razaq Badru said the Government’s commitment is to ensure that all students who receive admission to higher education institutions in the country and who are in the TASAF program receive loans to fulfill their dreams.
TASAF Executive Director Ladislaus Mwamanga said the institute would ensure that it carefully monitors the goals of the partnership to ensure needy students from poor households receive higher education loans from HESLB.
