PRESS RELEASE
TANZANIA’S NEWEST UNIVERSITY TO OPEN IN EARLY 2011
Njombe, Tanzania – Tuesday June 15, 2010
The Southern Diocese of the Lutheran Church in Tanzania is proud to announce the opening of Njombe University. Njombe University will offer students from all over Tanzania a complete university curriculum. The first students of Tanzania’s newest university are expected to begin their studies in early 2011.
Njombe University is an ambitious project that began in 2006. Reverend Dr. Lechion Peter Kimilike and an organizing committee are in charge of the fundraising, construction, and initial operations of Njombe University. After the completion of construction Njombe University will consist of five (5) campuses. The main campus will be located in Njombe Town with the faculty of social work, secondary education, and religious leadership located in the Village of Kidugala, an engineering and vocational school in Mafinga, an agricultural school in Lupembe Village, and a school health science and human habitat in the Village of Ilembula.
The university’s first students are expected to start their course work at the Kidugala campus early next 2001. Here Njombe University will train social workers, religious leaders and math and science teachers for secondary schools. What is different about the training of religious leaders from this university is that the students will not be ordained after graduation. The goal of this program is to train religious leaders as social workers to assist their villages. Using a faith/theology and ethical point of view, these future religious leaders will stress to their villages environmental stewardship and entrepreneurship through organic farming and resource conservation. The goal for the teaching program is to improve the teaching of math and science subjects at secondary schools throughout Tanzania.
Initial fundraising events were concentrated in Southern Tanzania because this is the population that will benefit most from Njombe University. These early fundraisers consisted of “harambee”
To complement existing and planned fundraising efforts, Dr. Kimilike and others are also working to begin activities to generate income. The first of these activities will be the cultivation of avocado and other fruits. This project will be incorporated in the curriculum to allow students a chance to gain valuable experience in agriculture and agribusiness. Other types of income generating activities will originate from the individual campuses and these activities will correspond to that campus’ specialization.
Beyond fundraising, Njombe University is looking to donors and partners to provide in-kind donations. This would include up-to-date college textbooks, laboratory equipment, computers, desks and other furniture, office automation equipment, vehicles, etc. Additionally, Njombe University is interested in recruiting qualified retired professors from outside of Tanzania. The retired professors are needed to alleviate an anticipated shortage of qualified professors from Tanzania.
To obtain more information about Njombe University please call or email Dr. Kimilike at +255-755-573-
