The Role of Higher Learning Institutions Education in Enhancing Tanzania's Status as a Middle – Income Economy Country: A Case of Selected Higher Learning Institutions in Mwanza, Tanzania

This paper investigated on therole of higher learning institutions education in enhancing Tanzania’s status as a middle – income economy country: a case of selected higher learning institutions in Mwanza, Tanzania. The study employed mixed research approach. A method in which a researcher integrates both qualitative and quantitative approach in the single study in the process of data collection. Also, the researcher employed descriptive research design because this designaccorded an opportunity to critically evaluate the research through inclusion of the quantitative and qualitative techniques thus provided a comparative analysis of the research problem being studied. The study used simple random sampling and purposive sampling where by simple random sampling was used to get lectures while purposive sampling was used to get heads of departments. Normally, to obtain enough information in a study a researcher encouraged large number of respondents. By follow up on 68 lectures and 12 heads of departments, the sample size of this study was 80. From the field concrete and detailed data acquired by employed questionnaires method to collect deep information from university lectures, Interview guide was used to collect information from heads of departments.In the current study the quantitative data was analyzed through descriptive statistical analysis with the helper of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21. The qualitative information was analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings showed that, established education systems are good not just for the national economy; they are good for the citizens of the state, ultimately state economic policies seek to improve the lives of the people in the state which this means creating condition in which people can get jobs that pay enough to support a family and provide economic security. A more educated individual is more likely to participate in job market to have good job, to work more hours and to be paid more and less likely to be unemployed, but the benefits of education go beyond the economic returns, higher level of education also corresponds to the improved health and lowers rates of mortality and lower rate of crime. This is because higher education helps to raise efficiency and increase productivity due to use of skilled man power, also higher education on the other hand helps to lower the level of unemployment and prepares individual to contribute on tax revenues. Thus, study recommend that, the graduates after receiving a degree; it becomes the high time to use such education obtained to bring economic change in the society. Since in the higher learning institution, a person is taught and exposed to various technological aspect then, this can be used as a source of employment or one can use the knowledge obtained to bring change to the way people used to do jobs and hence creates values addition and finally leads to the improved source of income to the community as well as giving employment to other people.