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TCCA, DIT teaming up to offer pilot aircraft engineering courses
2008-04-04 09:01:19
By Emmanuel Chacha, Mwanza
The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) and the Dar es salaam Institute of Technology are teaming up to introduce pilot and aircraft engineering courses to be offered in the country.
Speaking during a two-day TCAA Worker`s Council here on Wednesday, the authority\'s Safety and Regulation Director, John Njawa, said there was immediate need to introduce an intensive training programme for students to pursue pilot and aircraft engineering courses within the country because of the current shortage experienced.
For her part, the authority`s Director General, Margareth Munyagi, said TCCA had already established a special fund and so far raised 577m/- to sponsor students specialising in science subjects to pursue further studies in the two fields to bridge the gap.
She said the government decision to freeze scholarships for pilots and aircraft engineers for a considerably long period had caused the country grave scarcity in the rare professions.
Munyagi said that the government withdrew from sponsoring pilot and aircraft students for almost two decades now.
She said that the decision resulted in serious labour crisis as local airlines compete with foreign ones for the few available pilots and engineers.
She said that TCCA currently depended on pilots and engineers from South Africa, Ethiopia and European countries.
Without giving specific figures to illustrate the magnitude of the crisis, the DG appealed to the government to review its decision and reintroduce scholarships for pilots and aircraft engineers.
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