Does the Provision of Higher Education Students’ Loans in Tanzania Enhance Women Empowerment and Gender Equality?

Gender equity and Women empowerment are the key factors in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), that is to say the achievements of MDGS is depending on how other goals addresses the gender based constraints. This study is aiming at assessing on whether the higher education students’ loans provision in Tanzania is supporting the MDGs on Women Empowerment and Gender Equality through addressing the following objectives: (i) to examine the number of women enrollment in higher learning institutions in year 2011/2012 -  2014/2015 (ii) to determine the number of women who were given students’ loans in year 2011/2012 -  2014/2015   (iii) to examine on how the gender equality and women empowerement has been covered within the loan provision policies. According to the analyzed data the study concluded that Women enrollment in higher learning institutions (HLIs) and the women students who were given students’ loans has been increasing for 4 years consecutively (2011/2012 – 2014/2015). It was further concluded that gender-factor is not designed/captured in the loans issuance formula during Means Testing (MT) and the students’ loans provision policy at large. The study recommended that HESLB policy and the Means Testing formula to include gender equality and women empowerment factor, University enrollment policy to continue giving priority to women hence facilitation of more female attendance to higher education to enhance women empowerment and gender equality through attainment of higher education. Keywords: Women empowerment, gender equality, Higher education students’ loans Board (HESLB), Loans issuance, MDGs, Students’ loans

Public–private partnership in higher education provision in Tanzania: implications for access to and quality of education

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Implementations of the Best Practices in Repayment, the Way to Improve Collections of the Due Students’ Loans in Tanzania

&lt;p&gt;This study was designed to investigate the influence of the implementation of the best practices in repayment in the pre college preparation, in the in college period and in the after college period (the grace period and repayment) in increasing collections of the due students’ loans. The study was geared towards achieving the following objectives: (1) To assess the influence of the implementations of the best practices in repayment in the Pre college preparations in improving collections of the due students loans; (2) To examine the influence of the implementations of the best practices in repayment in the in college period in improving collections of the due students loans; (3) To investigate the influence of the implementations of the best practices in repayment in the after college period (the grace period and repayment) in improving collections of the due students loans.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Data were collected from parents, prospective loans beneficiaries and students’ loans beneficiaries in Dar es salaam city, in this study 5 secondary schools (Azania, Zanaki, Jangwani, Mbezi and Makongo), 5 universities (UDSM, DUCE, CBE, IFM and DIT) and 4 Organizations (HESLB, TPB, NBC and DUCE Academic staff) were visited. Data were collected from 267 respondents, 138 were from Kinondoni district, 65 from Ilala district, and 64 from Temeke. Data collected were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) data analysis tool.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study concluded that, the implementations of the best practice in repayment in the pre college preparation, in the in college period and in the after college period (the grace period and repayment) has an influence in increasing collections of the due students’ loans. In order to address these conclusions, the study recommends that HESLB should ensure the early education to the existing models and presentation to promote value of education, in the pre college preparations, presence of students financial aid offices, entry and exit counselling sessions, in the in college period as well as making sure that beneficiaries are reminded to repay, maintenance of the regular contacts with borrowers as well as establishment of contacts with dropouts in the after college period.&lt;/p&gt;</jats:p