Dodoma: The government is set to hold talks with South Korea and Saudi Arabia to secure more study opportunities for Tanzanians under a scholarship scheme.
Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, revealed this in Dodoma on Wednesday while briefing reporters about 10 Tanzanian students who have been awarded scholarships to pursue master’s degrees in data science, Artificial Intelligence and Computational Science under the Samia Scholarship Extended (SSE DS/AI+) programme.
Prof Mkenda said a negotiating team will travel to Saudi Arabia for further discussions, while he is expected to fly to Seoul soon after South Korea expressed interest in opening doors for more Tanzanians to study there.
“We have prepared our team to return to Saudi Arabia, and I am expected to travel to South Korea soon after our Ambassador in Seoul held talks there,” said the minister.
According to him, South Korea is impressed by Tanzania’s initiative to offer scholarships to its citizens and is ready to support the country by providing more opportunities for Tanzanians to study science-related courses, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science and allied sciences.
Regarding the Samia Scholarship Extended (SSE DS/AI+) programme, Prof Mkenda said the 10 students awarded scholarships will pursue their master’s studies at the Arusha-based Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST).
He added that another 10 students are expected to undertake their master’s studies at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Zanzibar Campus under the same initiative.
According to the ministry, the decision to sponsor students at the master’s level is driven by national demand.
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So far, the government has allocated 5bn/- to facilitate the implementation of the programme and plans to organise a gala dinner to raise additional funds from stakeholders. The initiative aims to bridge the gap in experts in science, mathematics and emerging technologies.
For his part, the Executive Director of the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), Dr Amos Nungu, said his institution is coordinating the programme and that it has received an overwhelming response.
Dr Nungu noted that the government’s decision to establish a training camp for contributing youth has attracted interest from several foreign universities seeking to partner in the programme.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor of Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Prof Maulilio Kipanyula, said the training camp provides an opportunity for young people to interact with students from other countries and pledged to continue overseeing it to ensure high standards are maintained.
Prof Kipanyula added that 60 per cent of those who received the additional Samia scholarship are lecturers in universities across the country.