ARUSHA: PRIME Minister, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba, has warned contractors undertaking government projects that failure to pay subcontractors and casual labourers will result in blacklisting.
“I will speak with the Attorney General so that contractors who fail to pay subcontractors and casual labourers in government projects are blacklisted,” Dr Nchemba said.
He issued the warning yesterday while laying the foundation stone for a new students’ dormitory at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha.
His remarks followed a complaint raised by a young man during the event, who claimed he had not been paid for construction work on the hostel building.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister directed executive directors of local government authorities to ensure that within the first six months of the upcoming budget, no school or dispensary should lack toilet facilities.
“As a nation with resources and a middle income economy, we should not hear that a school or dispensary has no toilets. After six months of the budget, I do not want to hear such reports. Directors must prioritise this,” he stressed.
Dr Nchemba said it was unacceptable for Tanzania to construct one of the longest modern railways in Africa while students queue for toilets in schools.
He also instructed the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, together with NMAIST, to ensure timely completion of the three storey hostel so that the institution can strengthen its position as a centre of research and innovation in Tanzania and across Africa.
The Prime Minister emphasised that the institution should produce experts capable of providing scientific and technological solutions to everyday challenges and production activities, noting that global progress depends heavily on technology.
He said the government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan has significantly increased investment in higher education, raising the higher education loans budget from 464bn/- to over 916bn/- while student enrolment has grown from 177,925 to 252,773.
He added that the Samia Scholarship Programme, which provides full sponsorship rather than loans, should motivate beneficiaries to excel academically and contribute meaningfully to national development.
According to Dr Nchemba, President Samia’s administration has constructed 79,000 classrooms, 2,700 primary schools, 1,300 secondary schools and established at least one girls’ school in every region.
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Minister for Education, Science and Technology Prof Adolf Mkenda said NMAIST was established by Fourth Phase President Jakaya Kikwete to produce specialists in science and technology.
Unlike other universities, he said, NMAIST focuses exclusively on science and technology and offers postgraduate and doctoral programmes.
Prof Mkenda added that President Samia has directed that top-performing Form Six science students receive 100 per cent scholarships to study at leading universities abroad.
Presenting the project report, NM-AIST Vice-Chancellor Prof Maulilio Kipanyula said the new hostel will increase accommodation capacity to 459 students from the current 279.
The 7.9bn/- project has so far received 6.032bn/- from the government. The building comprises five wings with 184 rooms, 160 of which are self-contained.
Twenty rooms are reserved for women with newborns and caregivers, as well as students with special needs.
He said the project aims to expand opportunities for women to pursue science and technology studies and to increase the number of students residing on campus.
Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Dr Daniel Mushi said NMAIST is among three specialised science and technology institutions in Africa, alongside similar institutions in Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
Institution Council Chairperson Ambassador Maimuna Tarishi said construction of the dormitory has reached 81 per cent completion, with 1.88bn/- required to finalise the project by December this year.
She noted that student enrolment has risen to 1,000 from 600 in the 2021/22 academic year.
NM-AIST Chancellor Omari Issa urged the government to strengthen the institution through increased staffing, enhanced infrastructure investment and improved commercialisation systems to position it as a centre of excellence in digital technologies and a strategic driver of the National Development Vision 2050.