More Tanzanian degree seekers are now looking east to Asian universities, shying away from American and European institutions of higher learning that were once major destinations for international degree seekers

Donald Mwanyika, who has just completed `A' level at Pandahill School in Mbeya Region, is one of the thousands of students countrywide hoping to pursue a degree at a reputable institution. And like many of his colleagues, he has no doubt when it comes to where he will study if he passes.

"I want to study law or public relations if I pass well, but that will have to be out of the country," says the 20-year-old. "My first choice will be to study abroad because my friends who studied out of the country are more exposed and tend to have better chances."

Interestingly, more Tanzanian degree seekers are now looking east to Asian universities, shying away from American and European institutions of higher learning that were once major destinations for international degree seekers.

Apparently, many factors may have combined to shift the trend towards the east. But it appears the improvement in relations between Asian and African countries like Tanzania, as well as the affordability of university education in the East compared to the West are the main pull factors.

The tuition fees for most US and UK universities are prohibitive to foreign students, especially from Africa. Potential students from many African countries now resort to places like India and Malaysia, the two countries that have become the destination of choice for the majority of Tanzanian students seeking especially business and medical degrees.

Most of them are attracted by the affordable fees. "In Malyasia, a student can spend only $10,000 per year (Sh13.6 million), including tuition and living expenses, while in the US the amount is at least double," says Mr Stanley Jebaretnam, an International Marketing Manager with Taylor University College in Malaysia.

There are hundreds of Tanzanian students studying at various Asian universities. Mr Jebaretnam says at Taylor University College 20 per cent of the institution's 14,000 students are international.

A previous report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that while the United States continued to be the top destination for international students seeking a university education between 2000 and 2005, it's market share fell significantly during the same periodby 4 per cent.
New market Mr Shashikumar Nadason, the Business Development Executive Officer with Malaysian Mahsa University College, which offers a variety of medical courses at both undergraduate and Masters levels, says Asian universities have embarked on an aggressive marketing strategy to attract more international students. Every indication suggests the marketing drive is paying dividends.

"Actually, Tanzania is our new market now, we started enrolling students from this country in 2007, and so far we have more than 40 Tanzanians studying in our campus," Mr Shashikumar said during the Global Education Placement (GEP) exhibition in Dar es Salaam last week.
f The exhibition brought together officials from various universities and colleges in Malaysia seeking to enroll students from Tanzania. Hundreds of Form 6 leavers and seekers of postgraduate degrees attended the event in search of study opportunities abroad.

Global Education Placement managing director Batul Kassan says the rise in numbers of Tanzanian students studying in Malaysia is due to cheaper costs of education in the Southeast Asian country.

"Since we opened our office here we have facilitated the enrollment of 200 students, and most prefer universities in Malaysia because they are cheaper and yet still offer the same quality of education with those in the US or UK," she says.

Corroborating, Mr Jebaretnam says his university, like a number of others in Asia, have partnerships with reputable universities in the UK and US, which is giving them a more competitive edge when it comes to costs.

Of late, there have also been complaints and frustrations among some prospective students, over the complications of the process of acquiring a student Visa for one to study in the US or UK.

This contrasts with the processes in most Asian countries, which are generally permissive to foreign n students.

Some universities in these countries put stringent entry requirements for international students, which sometimes include obtaining a certificate of conduct from a previous school, sitting for an English test even when the student passed ordinary level school certificate English, and no financial or loan support for international students, especially from Africa.

"For most Asian countries the Visa process is neither long nor complicated, you almost guaranteed of getting one when you qualify," says Mr Shashikumar.

Marriam Massawe, 20, is one of the hundreds of students who thronged the British Council for the recent exhibition. She has just completed Form 6 at St Mathew High School in Dar es Salaam, and is hoping to find a place to pursue a degree in Business Administration in Malaysia.

"I wanted to study in the UK at first, but I have just realised that I can pursue the same course in Malaysia for almost half the cost in the UK," she notes.

At the same exhibition was Sifueli Lyamuya, an accountant with Barc Foundation in Dar es Salaam.

He is hoping to pursue a Masters degree in the Asian country later this year. "My decision is based on the fact that I get more exposed that side than here," he notes. The lack of university places in the country has often been as one of the main factor causing local students to go abroad. At some point a few years ago, getting a place in public universities, which were not only cheaper, but also believed to offer better quality education, was survival of the fittest.

Improved employment But other elements also include opportunities for skilled migration, perceptions of improved employment and career prospects for foreign graduates, and beliefs about better quality education and life experiences overseas.

Mr Sajadhussein Kazim Manji, a Tanzanian . regional representative of the University College of Technology and Innovations (UCTI) in Malaysia, agrees. He says students who study abroad often get better jobs than those who study in local institutions of higher learning on returning home. "The tendency in the job market is to take a product from abroad because generally, universities in countries like Malaysia offer better quality education than those in Tanzania," he notes. However, the `look east' attitude among prospective Tanzanian students could also be a result of increasing competition to get a university place in the UK, figures released by the UK's admissions body last year suggest. Fifty thousand more people reportedly applied for university places in the UK last year, increasing fears that many would not get on a degree course.

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