How disparities in degree preferences reveal gaps in Tanzania’s higher education goals

Male students remain more inclined towards engineering, physical sciences, and technology-based fields. PHOTO| GETTY IMAGES 

Dar es Salaam. As Tanzania advances towards industrialisation and a knowledge-based economy, new data has revealed persistent gender-based programme preferences in universities, highlighting both progress and lingering imbalances in the country’s higher education system.

The VitalStats on University Education in Tanzania 2024, released by the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU), shows that female students continue to dominate social science and service-oriented programmes.