From Three Pillars to Five: TCU Charts a New Era for Tanzania’s Universities — and JUCo Answers the Call

Innovation and internationalization become core functions of every higher education institution as the Tanzania Commission for Universities moves the sector from Education 3.0 to Education 5.0

Arusha / Morogoro — July 2026

By the Directorate of Outreach and Internationalization, JUCo  •  Director: Dr. Jacek Gorka OFM

For decades, Tanzanian universities have stood on three pillars: teaching, research and consultancy. That era is ending. The Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) has called on every higher education institution in the country to widen its core mandate from three functions to five — adding innovation and internationalization — in a sector-wide transformation described as the move from Education 3.0 to Education 5.0.

The directive was the clearest message to emerge from the first national Conference on the Internationalisation of Higher Education in Tanzania, held on 19 June 2026 at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha. Convened by TCU through the EU co-funded Erasmus+ TANZIE project, the conference was officiated by the Vice Chancellor of NM-AIST, Prof. Maulilio Kipanyula, on behalf of the TCU Executive Secretary, Prof. Charles Kihampa. His headline message left no room for doubt: internationalisation is “no longer optional” — it is a core component of university transformation and a catalyst for academic excellence, visibility and sustainable development.

A directive for the whole sector

The scale of the reform is national. TCU’s call reaches every corner of a system that today comprises fifty-six recognised institutions:

From the largest public university to the smallest institute, each of these institutions is now expected to demonstrate innovation and internationalization as deliberate, governed functions — with strategies, structures, indicators and reporting — alongside the traditional trio of teaching, research and consultancy.

The rationale is firmly anchored in national policy. The expanded mandate aligns higher education with the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 and the national drive for innovation, industrialisation and global competitiveness; it responds to brain drain by building globally connected yet locally relevant universities; it supports the Sustainable Development Goals, notably quality education (Goal 4) and partnerships (Goal 17); and it positions Tanzanian institutions to compete for Erasmus+ and EU Global Gateway funding, where both new functions are increasingly a condition of entry.

JUCo puts internationalization first

At Jordan University College, the TCU directive has met an institution already in motion. The College’s Management, under the Principal, Prof. B. Mapunda, has placed internationalization among its foremost priorities — a commitment carried forward by the Directorate of Outreach and Internationalization under its Director, Dr. Jacek Gorka OFM.

JUCo was represented at the Arusha conference by Dr. Jacek Gorka OFM and Dr. Thomas Marwa ALCP/OSS, who joined internationalisation officers, policymakers and development partners from across the country. Although JUCo was not a member of the consortium that hosted the event, the directives and good practices presented apply to the entire sector — and the College intends to be among the first to act on them.

The Directorate’s recently adopted Guidelines and instruments already give JUCo a strong head start on the internationalization pillar. Building on the conference’s recommendations, the College now plans to:

• adopt an Internationalization Strategic Action Plan (2026–2029) with named owners, measurable indicators and deadlines;
• strengthen its International Relations function from structures to services, with a public service charter;
• embed “Internationalisation at Home”, so that every student benefits — not only those who travel;
• pursue equitable European partnerships ahead of the 2027 Erasmus+ Capacity Building call, aligned with EU Global Gateway priorities; and
• pair internationalization with innovation, linking partnerships and mobility to applied research and community impact.

Clearing the path

The conference also spoke frankly about the obstacles that slow internationalisation in Tanzania: lengthy and costly work and residence permit procedures for visiting scholars, fees for incoming international students that are out of proportion with what Tanzanians pay abroad, and regulatory bottlenecks within the system itself. These barriers are sector-wide, and JUCo will join TCU, the Ministry of Education and peer universities in advocating for reforms that match the ambition of Education 5.0.

For a college whose motto is “Fundisheni mataifa yote — Teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19), the message from Arusha is less a new burden than a confirmation of vocation. With TCU widening the university mandate to five pillars, JUCo is determined to be international in practice, not merely in name.