DAR ES SALAAM – Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on Wednesday supported a move by the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) to bar 19 higher learning institutions from admitting students in the 2017/18 academic year after they had failed to meet required conditions.

Launching the 12th Exhibition on Higher Education Science and Technology in Dar es Salaam, Majaliwa urged barred universities to stop wasting their time in unnecessary media debate and instead address problems raised by the TCU.

"The decision made by TCU (on Tuesday) to bar the higher learning institutions from admitting new students was for the interest of the country,” said the prime minister.

Majaliwa added: "The government wants universities to produce well-educated professionals who could realise the country’s dream of becoming an industrialised and middle income country.”

Simon Msanjila, the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, said universities and higher learning institutions should follow procedures in resolving their problems in order for the ban to be lifted.

TCU also suspended 22 universities from admitting students in 75 courses.

The statement, signed by the TCU acting executive secretary Eliuther Mwangeni, said the decision was made following an inspection of higher learning institutions across the east African nation conducted by the commission between September and October last year.

Xinhua