Aid effectiveness in financing higher education in Tanzania

This study evaluated the effectiveness Norwegian aid in financing higher education in Tanzania. Five main groups of respondents were identified, namely project leaders, project coordinators, chief executives from UDSM and SUA, directors from the ministries, and officials from the Norwegian Embassy. Most of the data was collected through documents, and interview. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and documentary analysis. The criteria used for and effectiveness include:-

1. Management arrangements. 2. Aid volume and predictability.
2. Sustainability of the interventions. 4. Client satisfaction with the aid. The study observed that current NORAD projects were planned jointly by the donor and the recipients, contrary to previous practices which were top-down in nature. Secondly, NORAD projects were the first of their kind to be planned, managed, and coordinated at institutional level, contrary to previous projects that were coordinated by respective department or faculty. The study revealed that a thorough situational analysis was conducted and project objectives were formulated clearly and jointly; project activities were planned jointly between the donor and recipients, and aimed at improving institutional capacities for research and expanded enrolments. In general, the project enhanced the institutional capacities in research and infrastructure, and the project products were sustainable because of synergy and linkages that were forged by the project products were sustainable because of synergy and linkages that were forged by the project. The project activities and products were incorporated in strategic institutional plans and budgets. The study concluded that, Tanzanian universities can administer large programs to the level of satisfying donors. Finally, the study recommends that there should be financial transparency between the institutions and the MSTHE on the amounts of funds injected by donors and other income generation sources. It further recommends that comparative studies of NORAD and donors interventions will shade more light in the process of financing higher education. Also, the long-term sustainability of aid products, and the extent to which human resources developed through the NORAD intervention retained in the respective institutions will need to be monitored.