South Sudan Delegation Commends HEET Progress at UDSM Benchmarking Visit
By Jackson Isdory, CMU
In a compelling demonstration of regional solidarity and shared vision for education-led development, the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) hosted a high-level delegation from South Sudan’s Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI).
The visit, held on Thursday, 17 July 2025, focused on benchmarking the World Bank-financed Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) Project and signalled a deepening partnership between the two nations, highlighting academia’s pivotal role in driving cross-border socio-economic progress.
South Sudan aims to emulate Tanzania’s HEET model, a showcase of strategic governance and institutional leadership, through its parallel initiative, the Building Skills for Human Capital Development in South Sudan.
“This engagement affirms UDSM’s mandate to contribute meaningfully to African aspirations. Our cooperation with South Sudan is rooted in shared values of Pan-African development, educational resilience, and sustainable partnerships,” stated Prof. Nelson Boniface, UDSM Deputy Vice Chancellor-Research.
He emphasized UDSM’s role not only as a HEET implementer but as a regional hub for excellence in higher education, teacher training, and policy innovation, citing ongoing collaborations with the University of Juba in Kiswahili instruction, curriculum design, and research.
Hon. Kachuol Mabil Piok, Undersecretary at MoGEI, described the visit as timely and instructive: “We are deeply inspired by Tanzania’s education sector leadership and institutional accountability. HEET’s lessons are invaluable as we scale up the Accelerated Secondary Education Programme (ASEP) and strengthen teacher development systems.”
The visit reflected the strategic intent of both governments under H.E. President Samia Suluhu Hassan and H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit to transform education as a cornerstone of national development, youth empowerment, and human capital advancement.
The South Sudanese delegation, led by Hon. Piok and H.E. Amb. Gloria John Mambai (Chargé d’Affaires, South Sudan Embassy in Tanzania), included senior officials Thadeo Kuntembwe (BSHCDSS Project Coordinator), Victor Dut Chol, Samuel Dem Marier, John Lujang Wani, Majuch Madul Abor, Elizabeth Yom, Daniella Achol, and Kual Amath (First Secretary).
At UDSM, they were received by Prof. Boniface and Dr. Liberato Haule (Deputy HEET Project Coordinator), alongside experts Dr. Lulu Mahai (Gender/Special Needs), Dr. Fatuma Simba (ICT/Industry Linkages), Dr. Augustina Alexander (Internationalisation), and Dr. George Kahangwa (School of Education).
Thematic discussions centered on six areas: operational frameworks for accelerated learning programmes and teacher certification pathways; pedagogical innovation, quality assurance, and blended teacher capacity-building; curriculum review methodologies aligned with labour markets and community-based learning.
Other areas in the list included, community outreach models and non-formal education policies for post-conflict regions; digital transformation via Learning Management Systems, MOOCs, and the Smart Campus initiative; and joint research and faculty exchange programmes to sustain evidence-based reforms.
Mutual Learning for Regional Development
The South Sudanese officials showed particular interest in UDSM’s use of secondary schools as public learning centres and its policies supporting non-formal education—critical areas for addressing educational disparities in post-conflict regions.
They also explored UDSM’s Learning Management Systems (LMS), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and Smart Campus Initiative as digital transformation benchmarks with potential application in South Sudan’s teacher training institutions.
“This visit solidifies UDSM’s position not only as an implementer of HEET, but as a regional beacon of excellence in education transformation. It demonstrates the catalytic role universities can play in shaping future public sector human capital across borders,” remarked Dr. Haule.
This milestone benchmarking visit affirms UDSM’s growing influence in the region as a thought leader in education transformation. More than a project implementation site, UDSM is setting the pace for prosperous, inclusive, and scalable education reform across East Africa.
The burgeoning South Sudan–Tanzania education partnership stands as a testament to the power of knowledge diplomacy, ushering in a new era of regional collaboration, resilience, and shared prosperity.