By Education Correspondents  
The growing number of students in search of higher education has seen the proliferation of institutions of learning, which has brought about unbending competition amongst them.

Currently, the country has a huge pool of private colleges compared to previous years, which presents a challenge to public universities, spread in various parts of the country.

The high rate of expansion in the education sector has seen polytechnics, middle-level colleges and training institutes come up with wide-ranging marketing strategies aimed at tapping the thousands of students who clear secondary education and miss to join public universities each year.

With the commercialisation of education, private institutions are striving to be at par or even above the standards set by public universities, which have in the past been known to offer better packages.

Some of the strategies by private colleges to cut through the competitive education market, involve massive investment modern teaching and training equipment that overshadow those available in public universities.
Other institutions attract students through persuasive marketing language like, ‘serene and conducive learning environment’, ‘prestigious lecture halls’ and ‘market-tailored courses’.

Polytechnics in the country are venturing into partnerships with universities to offer degree as a first degree becomes something of a minimum requirement in the job market.

Affiliations with other colleges increase the credibility of the institutions. Part of the partnerships involves both local and international universities aimed at offering diploma and degree courses in an array of disciplines such as foreign languages, Information Technology and business-related fields.

The partnerships enable the colleges to acquire scholarships for their students and at the same time boost their international visibility. Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities are one of the weapons used by private colleges to outwit public universities.

Genuine concerns
Most private colleges also boast a smaller lecturer to student ratio. Yet, on the other hand there are genuine concerns that the quality of education offered in some of the private colleges leaves a lot to be desired.

In most cases, the standards at public colleges are still high as regards the curriculum content and the calibre of lecturers. It is a common secret that many private colleges bend admission requirements to pave way for more admissions.

Cases of no-registered private colleges offering dubious qualifications are not new in Tanzania. The Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) often issues warnings to protect students from enrolling in illegal or substandard institutions.

As for the private institutions, some of them don’t the training equipment they sing about. For instance, journalism colleges may not have computers, cameras and recording studios in spite of the hype.
Illegal colleges are notorious for fleecing unsuspecting parents and students millions of shillings every year by offering courses without the required facilities and teaching staff.

But behind all this lies the question of whether some of these institutions are genuine and internationally recognised.

Some are created by unscrupulous individuals to charge students exorbitantly and in the long run offer fake academic certificates which nobody honours.

The kind of courses offered may not be in line with current educational standards and lecturers may not be qualified for their jobs.
The alarming rate of emergence of private colleges requires one to investigate their backgrounds and credibility before enrolling for any courses.

With so many young people with a future to think about, education has become a major business raising questions about quality and relevance. Ends  

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