China, Dar es Salaam University Plan State of The Art Library

THE University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) will next year construct a state-of-the-art library worth 16 million US dollars (26bn/-), following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of China which will finance the project.

UDSM Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rwekaza Mukandala, told journalists in Dar es Salaam that the library would be built on Mwalimu Nyerere Main Campus and would accommodate about 5,000 students.

He was speaking during the launching ceremony of the Confucius Institute (CI) of the UDSM at the main campus. The institute, which has been jointly established by UDSM and Zhejian Normal University (ZNU) will offer courses in Chinese language.

"CI has been operating evening classes and one Chinese Summer Camp... and out of 68 learners who registered for the course, 60 have completed the three-month course," he noted.

Prof Mukandala pointed out that the programmes cover Basic Chinese language, Chinese listening skills, Oral Chinese skills, Chinese songs, Taiji course, Chinese calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting.

He said the institute would soon introduce undergraduate courses in Chinese language and culture and that the CI has already submitted course outlines to the university senate for approval. "Once the course outlines are approved by the senate, UDSM students can choose to study Chinese language intensively from Level 1 to Level 6 within one year," he said.

He explained that the intensive course would be open to pre-university students aspiring to study Bachelor's degree in Language Studies with Chinese language major. Prof Mukandala said apart from the library the Chinese government would construct a secondary school to be built on the main campus, saying the school will house both ordinary and advanced levels.

"The school will be used by the Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE) as a demonstration school," he said. In his remarks, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Benard Membe, urged Tanzanians to make use of the institute and learn that ideas which made China a giant in economic growth. "The Confucius Institute will be a bridge to unite the people of two countries of Tanzania and China," said Mr Membe, who was the guest of honour.