Dar es Salaam: The number of women engineers in science and technology
field is expected to rise, on the basis of a plan to increase
enrollment at three institutes of technology, thanks to Italian
International Development Agency support.
Total funding committed by the agency is Tsh5.4 billion spread over
three years (2010-2013) for the Dar es Salaam Institute of
Technology, the Mbeya Institute of Science and Technology and Arusha
Technical College.
The funding will facilitate capacity building in those institutions,
improve teaching facilities to enhance and deepen the provision of
quality technical education and consequently, reduce the human capital
gap between academic institutions and the workforce.
The support will also enable the increase the number of women taking
science subjects, mainly engineering in electronics, communication,
mining and computer science.
“This is a good window for our country in achieving the National
Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction targets by 2015 and the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” said Prof. Makame Mbarawa, the
minister.
He said the support would equip the three institutions with modern
teaching facilities, linking them with industries, and similarly
helping to promote competitiveness of the institutions.
Prof. John Kondoro, the principal of DIT said the number of women
enrollment at his institution was minimal, but as the support involves
issuing of scholarships, the situation will be rectified.
He said the Italian support is going to accomplish the provision of
education services as well as technological transfer and curriculum
development.
Currently, women enrollment at the DIT stands at 14 per cent and and
the recent selection of students for diploma course, eight women were
enrolled out of 250 new students.
However, he said the main plan ahead is to raise public awareness to
enable young ladies to be inspired by engineering courses with the use
of role models of best existing women engineers. One such engineer is
Ms Margreth Munyagi, the former director general of the Tanzania Civil
Aviation Authority, the don noted.
The Italy-funded Technical Education and Labour Market Support
Programme acknowledges that technical institutions are priority
sources of skilled and specialised labour.
Dr. Daniele Passacqua, the programme manager at the agency, said the
new support will enhance participation of women in technology and
engineering training programme inculcate and engender related
long-term opportunities.
“This will redress gender imbalance and create sustained commitment
through providing ongoing technical education orientation and creating
scholarship programme for female students,” the manager emphasized.
Ends