Government of Tanzania and World Bank partner to fund the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) project, aimed at enhancing the learning environment and labor market focus of priority programs in beneficiary higher education institutions while improving the management of the higher education system.
About
The project is designed to revitalize and expand the capacity of universities to contribute to key areas for innovation, economic development, and labor market relevance, by investing in requisite infrastructure for modern and effective teaching and research, and by training to the highest standard the teachers, researchers and administrators needed by universities to achieve to their full potential.
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;
Focal Area Coordinator : Dr. Bernard Mnzava
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
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.
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
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
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
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:
Dr. Hamisi Sinde
Dr. Bernard Mnzava
Building functional linkages with the private sector/industry
Dr. Ezra Kakozi
Monitoring and Evaluation
Dr. Hamisi Sinde
Risk Management
Dr. Heri Mulamula
Monitoring and Evaluation
Dr. Ibrahim Kikwiye
Assistant Project Coordinator
Dr. Julius Raphael
Assistant Project Coordinator
Dr. Kadida Mashaushi
Project Coordinator
Dr. Shufaa Al-Beity
Promoting Self-Generated Income
Dr. Tausi Mkasiwa
Promoting applied research and innovation capacity
Miss. Astrida Leonard
Inclusive Education
Miss. Elizabeth Mofulu
Monitoring and Evaluation
Miss. Saumu Salum
Gender
Mr. Alex Aley
Procurement
Mr. Daniel Tairo
Digitization
Mr. Furael Lema
Procurement
Mr. Hassan Semkiwa
Capacity Building
Mr. Nicodemus Morembwa
Finance
Ms. Jessica Chiwenda
Digitization
Ms. Kalunde Ntimizi
Construction of infrastructure
Ms. Veronica Mironge
Digitization
3 months ago
Benchmarking at University of Stellenbosch
1 year ago
Applied Research and Innovation Seminar