Seeking better and affordable education: Many Tanzanian students have for years been flocking to India for university education. The Asian country has re-emerged as a leading destination for degree seekers from the East Africa. PHOTOI FILE
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“I have settled very well, thanks to my fellow Tanzanians. I have met quite a number of them and they are treating me well,” says Eric, who was one of the top performers in the 2012 Form Six national examination.
When Eric Mulogo flew to India to pursue his studies a few months ago, he had no illusions about the difficulties he might face as a student in a foreign land. But his fears quickly disappeared after he realised that he was not alone, but just one of the growing numbers of East Africans seeking higher education in the Asian country.
“I have settled very well, thanks to my fellow Tanzanians. I have met quite a number of them and they are treating me well,” says Eric, who was one of the top performers in the 2012 Form Six national examination.
Eric, who is pursuing a bachelor of commerce degree at the University of Acharya, is now one of the over 1,000 Tanzanian students studying in India.
Speaking with Success by phone from his university, he says he has found life as a student in India not very difficult due to the fact that there are many other Tanzanian students studying there.
“There were many offers from top Tanzanian universities, but I wanted something different, and as a reward for my achievement my parents had made me this offer,” says Eric.
After losing out to local universities in the battle to attract East African students, India’s robust higher education sector is back in the region and determined to reclaim its place as a leading destination for African students.
This year, the Indian High Commission in Dar es Salaam issued 604 student visas, down from 685 issued in 2012. But in total, the High Commission issued 3,131 student visas between 2009 and 2013, according to figures made available to Success.
According to Abha Gosain, consular at the High Commission of India in Dar es Salaam, bilateral cooperation between the two countries has over the years made it easy for Tanzanian degree seekers to settle in India.
“Tanzania is a major beneficiary of Indian scholarships and other educational assistance, including self-financing students in India’s institutes of higher learning. Several hundred Tanzanian students are studying in India on a self-financed basis,” says Mr Gosain.
India and Tanzania signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on exchange programme on Cooperation in the field of Education on 27th April, 2000
Over and above lower fees and a wide choice of courses, Indian institutions also arrange visas for recruited students, making it easier for parents who would otherwise spend days chasing after immigration papers.
The fact that India has a reputable and mature higher education sector is also likely to be a magnet for students.
Leading Indian universities have been visiting East African capitals, holding workshops for parents and potential students, appointing recruitment agents and advertising education opportunities on offer in their institutions.
Besides having a wide array of courses deemed relevant and attractive in the job market by young people, the universities are charging pocket-friendly fees that must be music to the ears of parents searching for affordable education for their children.
A history of student movement
India has for years been a destination for education-hungry Tanzanians and the rest of degree seekers from East Africa, starting off in the 1940s when both region and Asian nation were British colonies, and continuing after 1947 when India gained independence and generously granted scholarships to liberation movements in East Africa.
The trend continued into the 1960s, when East Africa had only two universities – Dar es Salaam and Makerere in Uganda – which were aimed primarily at educating civil servants and staff for corporations in the newly independent states.
The trend continued until East African countries began building more public universities, dampening demand for higher education abroad, and then fell off further during the 2000s when the private higher education sector in the region began to flourish.
However, with student demand soaring and local institutions once again struggling to provide sufficient places, overseas institutions are back.
Indian universities in East Africa
The fact that universities in India have for years hosted students from East Africa and other regions of the world, gives them an advantage in handling learners from multicultural backgrounds.
Top in the race to net East African students are Manipal University, Sharda University, RK Degree College and SRM University (which claims to be the country’s leading engineering institution), Patkar College and the University of Punjab. Courses being marketed to students include the ever-popular bachelor degrees in commerce, engineering, information technology, health sciences including nursing, and law.
