Tanzania prepares Samia Scholarship students for international studies

Tanzania’s Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adolf Mkenda, has urged beneficiaries of the Samia Scholarship Extended (DS/AI+) programme to prepare rigorously for international academic environments. During a training camp at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha, Mkenda emphasized the necessity of achieving high English-language proficiency to meet the admission criteria of foreign universities.

To qualify for institutions such as the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, students must achieve an ‘A’ grade in English at the Form Four level, alongside high marks in science subjects like Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The Ministry of Education has established agreements with the University of Johannesburg to train Tanzanian youth in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and related fields.

Professor Yunus Mgaya, Chairperson of the Samia Scholarship Committee, noted that the government is working to strengthen English language instruction from the primary and secondary school levels to better prepare students for global academic challenges. Previous scholarship recipients have successfully transitioned to institutions such as the University of Limerick in Ireland.