The establishment of TEA as a corporate body mandated to manage the education fund is a positive move to addressing the problem of financing education in this country. The objectives of the fund underscore government efforts to find a practical solution to this problem. IMANI LWINGA demonstrates how the fund has managed to meet its goal and who the beneficiaries are so far.

AS is the case in virtually all African countries and elsewhere, Tanzania has been fighting against three development enemies since independence in 1961- poverty, ignorance and diseases.

The government has, therefore, been addressing the problems with equal weight and emphasis, knowing that in order to ensure sustainable development and prosperity of its economy and the people THE government puts emphasis on education development because that is the most reliable way to stimulate rapid and sustainable growth and strengthening of the economy which improves the provision of the other social services.

Nevertheless, it has taken up a firmer step by introducing the Education Fund. Education Fund which is managed by the Tanzania Education Authority (TEA) is geared at making the funding for education sustainable.

Established under the Education Fund Act of 2001, the Fund was officially launched on March 11th 2005 by the Vice President Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein in Dar es Salaam.

The government has allocated TZS 19.6 billion in its annual budget for education fund. The major aim is as to support the government’s efforts to improve education, and to promote equity in the provision of education by addressing gender imbalance at the secondary and higher institutions levels

“In providing this support, the Tanzania Education Authority disburses funds directly from the Education Fund to the suppliers of the required goods and services, after ensuring that proper procurement procedures have been followed,” says Patrick Rutabanzibwa, Education Fund Board chairman.

Nevertheless, Rutabanzibwa said that the authority’s five-year strategic plan is under preparation with the active participation of a wide spectrum of education sector stakeholders. This would set up strategies to address the e challenge by mobilizing resources for the Fund from outside the government budget.

TEA Director General, Mercy Sila says the fund has so far allocated the total of 16 billion to various learning instructions since September 2003 hen it became operational. Over 100 institutions in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar, including universities, technical colleges, teachers’ colleges, secondary schools as well as a primary school.” Most of the allocations are in forms of grants. Others are loans.

Most of local universities in the country have in one way or the other benefited by the Education Fund. These include The University of Dar es Salaam, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences [MUCHS], University College of Lands and Architectural Studies [UCLAS], Open University of Tanzania, Mzumbe University, Sokoine University and Hubert Kairuki University.

Other universities are Tumaini University colleges of Iringa, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre [KCMC], State University of Zanzibar, Bugando University and St. Augustine University of Mwanza.

Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology, College of Business Education, Mbeya Technical College, Karume Technical College, Arusha Technical College and Rwegarulila Water Institute are some of the colleges already benefited by the fund.

Others in that category include Kivukoni Academy, Institute of Social Works, and Arusha Institute of Accountancy, Institute of Financial Management, and Nyegezi Fisheries Institute, Institute of Rural Development Planning as well as Masoka Management Training.

At least 60 secondary schools countrywide have so far benefited from the fund. Among those secondary schools benefited by the fund include Maswa Girls’, Rungemba, Kilocha Seminary, and Mbeya. The schools include private and public owned.

“I take this opportunity to reiterate, and reassure you of the government commitment to the promotion and development of quality education,” Dr. Shein was quoted as saying at the launching of the fund.

The commitment of the government to the successful implementation of the education reforms, as spelled out in the Primary Education Sector Programme (PEDEP), Secondary Education Programme (SEDEP) and that of Higher Education and Technical Education Expansion Programmes (HETEP) makes an obvious demonstrations.

The purpose of all these programmes is to improve access to and quality education in this country.

The priority areas where the funding goes include laboratories, text-books, Information and Communication Technology [ICT], classrooms, capacity building to the staff, purchases of computers, constructions of other facilities such as lecturing theatres.

There are other institutions that has so far benefited by TEA as well. These include Equal Opportunity for all Trust Fund [EOTF] for human resource developing, ministry of education for Girls Science Camps and Tanzania Institute of Education for ICT Installation.

Nonetheless, the financing of education in Tanzania, like in many other developing countries, has always been the most daunting problem in efforts to develop this important social sector.

The establishment of the education fund has come into being as an effort of the ministry of science, technology and higher education to compliment government efforts for sustainable financing and development of quality education. The minister of science, technology and higher education Dr. Pius Ng’wandu is the man who has played a major role to the establishment of the fund.

Funding for education still has a long way to go as still fewer students find places of study in secondary schools and higher education institutions. Established private universities run below their capacities. The Tanzania Education Authority which still depends on the government for funding has not been able to meet and satisfy these funding needs.