Though thousands of miles apart from Henan Province, China to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the cooperation in vocational education has advanced smoothly. On July 31, two teachers majoring in Mechatronics from Henan Polytechnic Institute (HPI), Du Yichen and Liu Yachuang, set off on a mission to the Kipawa Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Center under Tanzania’s Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA).
They carried out a six-week teaching program under the “Zhangheng School” project and returned with honors on September 13 after successfully completing their tasks. Named after Zhang Heng, an ancient Chinese scientist, the project embodies the spirit of inheriting innovation and empowering through technology.
Its aim is to cultivate more technical and skilled talents who meet Tanzania’s local development needs through vocational education cooperation, thereby contributing to the upgrading of local industries and economic development in Tanzania.
The value of the “Zhangheng School” project goes far beyond a single technical training program. On one hand, it provides Tanzanian young people with opportunities to systematically learn practical skills, helping them enhance their employability and broaden their paths for personal development.
On the other hand, it will accurately supply much-needed skilled talents to Chinese enterprises operating in Tanzania, building an efficient link between alleviating local employment pressure and meeting the talent demands of Chinese enterprises.
More importantly, the project has further deepened the practical cooperation between China and Tanzania in the field of vocational education, serving as a vivid example of connectivity in the education sector under the Belt and Road Initiative. It has made educational cooperation an important pillar for the friendly exchanges between the two countries.
The registrar of Kipawa ICT Centre, Talemwa Kahoza states: We expect China’s experience in vocational education to continue aligning with Tanzania’s development needs. By transferring skills to empower local young people and promoting win-win cooperation to consolidate the foundation of friendship between the two countries, we believe this connection based on skills will continue to play a role in injecting long-term impetus into the cooperation and development of China and Tanzania,”.
