Driving Economic Growth through Education
The HEET Project in Action

It is critical for higher learning institutions to create links with the industries. The Institute of Finance Management (IFM) is currently building functional linkages with sector ministries (public and private institutions) as part of implementing the HEET Project under the World Bank funding. The Institute will engage partners from different industries through formulation of MoUs and Industry Advisory Councils (IAC). The final outcome of this component of the HEET project will be as follows;

• Formation Industry Advisory Council (IAC). The committee will be useful during development of new curriculum and review of old/existing curriculums. The committee will also be useful through advising the Institute the best practical way of undertaking applied research, innovation and advisory/outreach activities.
• Existence of 25 MoUs with the industry (Public Institutions and Private Institutions) which will facilitate staff and students placements in the industry. On the other hand, well experienced staff from industry will be invited/placed at the Institute for teaching practical aspects of some modules.
• Established outreach centres/desks to coordinate service delivery. In the long run, the Institute will establish the centres/desks for coordinating staff and students placements in respective partner institutions.

Focal Area Coordinator : Dr. Bernard Mnzava

EVENT REPORT

Building functional linkages with the private sector/industry 

The activities in this area are centered on promoting external linkages with the private sector and industry. Significant milestones have been achieved in this regard.

Firstly, the preparation of the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) guidelines has been completed, laying the groundwork for structured collaboration. Following this, the Industry Advisory Council was established, comprising 17 members, and the orientation for these members has also been successfully conducted.

In terms of formal partnerships, 10 out of the targeted 25 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed, representing 40% of the goal. Additionally, guidelines for the placement of staff and students have been developed, ensuring a clear framework for future engagements.

Lastly, the establishment of an external linkage department has been completed, providing a dedicated entity to manage and enhance these critical industry connections.

This area is concerned with the Institute plans to build the capacity of its senior staff to steer the direction of training using advanced digital technology for the delivery of curricula to produce employable graduates. Relevant interactions with senior counterpart leadership at universities where these digital environments are already operating shall be arranged and implemented.

Moreover, short-term training will be conducted for members of the Management of the Institute on transformative leadership, gender mainstreaming, and special needs aspects of education services and Monitoring and evaluation (M &E) matters.

Activities

• Train staffs on how to use the installed equipment’s and support student with special needs; Installed equipment’s/materials/facilities are commissioned.
• Conduct training to academic staff on effective use of Moodle, upload learning material
• Conduct TOT to Curricula development teams and industry partners on pedagogical teaching and assessment methodologies
• Conduct TOT to academic staff on Online Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Development (instructional designs & curriculum development), online learning management systems, and train 10 technical staff on Multimedia content development
• Conduct TOT to academic staff on pedagogical teaching and assessment methodologies
• Building staff Capacity in conducting short courses, pilot sector relevant short courses conducted
• Conduct training to research teams/applicants, facilitate research teams in writing applications for external research grants
• Train project coordination team on project management
• Train staff gender moderation approaches

Focal Area Coordinator: Mr Hassan Semkiwa

EVENT REPORT

Building capacity of Academic staff and Institute leadership 

This area focuses on enhancing the understanding of special education needs and disabilities among top management and staff, as well as increasing the comprehension of Virtual Learning Environments and pedagogical learning methodologies by top management.

Leadership training for management has been successfully completed, and staff training on how to support students and colleagues with special education needs has also been conducted and completed.

A total of 16 staff members, including those in top management, participated in study tours outside the country to broaden their exposure to modern teaching and learning technologies and practices.

Regarding gender and special needs, significant efforts have been made to develop and strengthen guidelines and affirmative actions. The preparation of guidelines for students with special needs and gender issues has been completed. Additionally, the design and drawings were reviewed, and an inclusive education awareness seminar for staff was successfully conducted. The identification of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) referral channels across all four campuses has been completed, as well as the establishment of gender desks at the IFM campuses in Dar es Salaam (DSM), Simiyu, Mwanza, and Dodoma.

EVENT REPORT

Construction of infrastructure (Simiyu and Mwanza Campuses) 

The construction activities encompass the development of a Teaching Block, Hostel, Community Building (shops and ATMs), Dispensary, Sports Ground, and external works for Simiyu Campus, as well as a Female Hostel for Mwanza Campus. 

The progress made so far includes the preparation of completion of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and a procurement of a consultant for review and supervision. Additionally, the tenders for contractor procurement were opened on 23rd August 2024 and the contractor is expected to be selected by the end of September 2024.

Focal Area Coordinator: Ms. Kalunde Ntimizi

Shortage of skilled workers across essential sectors has been identified by the World Bank as a big challenge towards industrialization and development in Tanzania. Skills mismatches is highlighted as a factor which contribute to unemployment of graduates. It is argued to occur when academic disciplines are not in line with demand on the labour market, curricula are outdated, the content of programs have limited labour market relevance, and have limited emphasis on practical experience and soft skills. It also occurs when teaching and learning facilities and technologies are outdated. To address these challenges, a sufficient stock of skilled human resources is desired so as to achieve semi-industrialized middle-income country status by 2025.

With the assistance of the World Bank under the Higher Education for Economic Transformation Project (HEET), the Project Implementation Unit – Institute of Finance Management (IFM) is working on the project of reviewing and developing new curricula programs. IFM is among the Five higher education Institutions managed under the Ministry of Finance and Planning. The Institute has been identified as one of the priority Institutions under HEET project for provision of excellent practical training in key fields of accountancy, statistics, and financial management.

Prioritized institutional investments supported by the World Bank in curriculum review and development under the HEET Project involve curricula alignment with labour market needs, introduction of innovative pedagogical approaches and incorporation of cross cutting issues, including gender, climate change, special needs, internationalization and digitalization. These interventions are expected to align existing curriculum with demand on the labour market, update our teaching and learning facilities and technologies, and improve our graduate practical experience and soft skills thus enhancing the country achieve semi-industrialized middle-income country status by 2025.

Focal Area Coordinator : Dr. Lilian Nyamizi

EVENT REPORT

Developing/Updating curricula and introducing innovative pedagogical methodologies 

The activities in this area focus on reviewing and developing curricula that align with labor market standards. The curriculum development and review process has been participatory and inclusive, involving over 60 academic staff members selected by faculty deans. In total, 12 curricula have been addressed, with 10 undergoing review and 2 being newly developed. The names of the reviewed curricula are – Bachelor of Taxation and Accounting (BTA), Bachelor of Economics and Finance (BEF), Bachelor of Science in Taxation (BTX), Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT), Bachelor of  Computer Science (BCS), Bachelor of Social Protection (BSP), Bachelor of Insurance and Risk Management (BIRM), Bachelor of Banking and Finance Services (BBF), Bachelor of Accounting with Information Technology (BAIT),  and Bachelor of Accounting (BACC)  and the new curricula are – Bachelor of Banking and Insurance (BBI) and Bachelor of Actuarial Sciences (BAS).

 The Institute through its internal funding is investing in various digitization areas from constantly improving ICT infrastructure to the development and purchasing of various mission-critical software and applications. HEET funding will continue to improve the digitization process and the areas that will be covered are highlighted. Digital platform for teaching and learning is going to be improved. The Moodle, which is used for blended learning, distance education, flipped classrooms and other online learning projects will be improved. All necessary and required plugins and integration will be used to ensure that the Institute provides the best learning experience. The faculty’s capacity to use the mentioned digital platform will be enhanced to match the expected expectations.
 
 The Institutes ERP modules are going to be tightly integrated with National approved applications to have a seamless flow of data and enhance the security and performance of the ERP.
 
 Students with special needs will benefit from the project as equipment and facilities that improve accessibility and the welfare of those students are going to be procured and utilized.
 
 Focal Area Coordinator: Mr. Daniel Tairo 

EVENT REPORT

1. Strengthening the use of digital technology 

The activities in this area focus on the development of online learning platforms and digital technology applications. The customization of Moodle and its plugins has been successfully completed, and the system is now fully operational.

Additionally, training sessions for Moodle administrators and developers have been conducted, equipping them with the necessary skills to effectively manage the platform. 

Furthermore, the capacity building within faculties for the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning is ongoing. Moreover, the integration of the Learning Management System (LMS) with the Education Management System (EMS) is also in progress and the specifications for the Multimedia Studio have been established. 

2. Upgrading learning resources and equipment (including capacity in development of online and ODL learning and pedagogy) 

The activity in this area includes the procurement of specialized equipment and facilities for students with special needs. Progress has been favorable, with 90% of the required equipment identified, and the procurement process is actively ongoing. The delivery of these specialized items is expected to take place in September 2024.

Inclusive education is an important area in education which accommodates all individuals despite their diversities. The approach celebrates individuals’ differences and offers an opportunity for vulnerable groups to enjoy the learning environment just like the rest through accepting, understanding and attending to the diversity. The essence of inclusive education is to make people with special needs in education feel welcomed and supported in their efforts. It is the opposite of segregation or marginalization of learning environments for persons with special needs in the general education system.

In recognizing that marginalization within the education system often marks the beginning of a lifetime of marginalization in mainstream society for people with special needs, the inclusive education area under the HEET project seeks to provide reasonable accommodation and equal access for these individuals. The area will ensure that individuals’ requirements are taken care of in order to facilitate effective education and individualized support measures for maximizing academic, social and career development. Ultimately, this area will guarantee that these efforts are sustainable by ensuring provision of guidelines and the establishment of a unit which will cater for the requirements of individuals with special needs.

Activities

1. Review and development of the institute’s guidelines to accommodate students and staff with special needs
2. Awareness creation to the institute’s community on the issues related to special needs
3. Identification of students and staff with special needs
4. Establishment of a special needs unit to ensure sustainability of the project efforts

Focal Area Coordinator: Ms. Astrida Leonard

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) involves systematically tracking project performance based on prescribed indicators and activities to measure success or failure. It also serves as an early warning system for authorities to reveal and formulate redress or coping mechanisms by establishing a sound system for tracking performance and timely identification of challenges or risks.

The M&E expert will be responsible for MEL activities and will oversee the overall progress of activities for the smooth implementation of the activities as defined in the Institute Strategic Investment Plan (ISIP). In addition, the M&E expert establishes monitoring activities that ensure the process is in place by carrying out performance tracking continuously while conducting an in-depth strategic analysis of progression through internal and external evaluation mechanisms.

Focal Area Coordinator: Dr. Heri Mulamula

EVENT REPORT

Enhancing Support for Project Coordination and Management

With regard to Project Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, The establishment of a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Committee has been successfully completed, marking a significant step in enhancing support for project coordination and management. Following the committee's formation, all members received comprehensive training, ensuring they are well-equipped to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

Additionally, the Department of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Lessons Learned has been established, further strengthening the project's capacity for continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.

The Institute of Finance Management (IFM) is one among the Higher Learning Institutions in Tanzania implementing the Higher Education for Economic Transformation Project (HEET).
Among other areas, the project focuses on Promoting Applied Research and Innovation within the Institute of Finance Management. Specifically, the project intends to achieve three (3) major results, these are 

• Enhancing the capacity of the institute in conducting Applied Research and Innovation,
• Enhancing capacity of the members of staff in conducting applied research and innovation and also to ensure,
• Results from Applied research and innovation are disseminated and communicated to the stakeholders. 

In addition to these results, the project has to address gender as well as special needs issues. A number of activities, ranging from Revising Research and Publications Guideline to Preparation of the Policy Briefs for the selected applied research and innovation, have therefore been planned to ensure these results are achieved.

Focal Area Coordinator: Prof. Tausi Mkasiwa 

EVENT REPORT

Promoting applied research and innovation capacity 

The activities in this area are focused on improving the quality of research, innovation, and knowledge exchange. Several key tasks have been successfully completed to advance these objectives.

First, the Terms of Reference (TOR) for reviewing the Research and Innovation Guidelines were prepared. Following this, new guidelines for applied research and innovation were also developed and finalized. To support the implementation of these guidelines, two training sessions were conducted, engaging 180 academic staff in applied research and innovation practices.

Additionally, guidelines for the development of incubators were created, providing a structured approach to fostering innovation within the institution. Finally, data collection tools were prepared to facilitate the engagement of industry partners in applied research, ensuring that research efforts are closely aligned with industry needs.

These activities represent significant progress in enhancing the quality of research and innovation within the institution.

Focal Area Coordinator: Dr. Shufaa Al-Beity

EVENT REPORT

Promoting self-generated income 

This area focuses on increasing the visibility of our short courses and consultancy activities. Several key initiatives have been undertaken to achieve this goal:

• The development of four consultancy and short course profiles aimed at the commercialization of products and services has been successfully completed.
• The preparation of income generation guidelines has also been finalized.
• Two training sessions were conducted for 150 local government officials in Simiyu to promote the Institute's short courses and consultancy services, both of which have been successfully completed.

Dr. Hamisi Sinde