Tanzanian Pres becomes first woman to Receive Honorary Doctorate from JNU

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 10 October 2023

Today, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan received an honorary doctorate from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), making her the first woman to receive the title.

On October 8, President Samia arrived in India for a four-day visit. She received the honorary degree in recognition of her critical role in strengthening the relations between India and Tanzania, promoting economic diplomacy, and also achieving success in regional integration and multilateralism.

Ms. Samia Hassan is the first female President of Tanzania who belongs to a humble family in an African village. She expressed her joy in visiting India again, as she visited the nation in 1998 for her studies in Hyderabad. She said that she stands here as a Jawaharlal Nehru University family member and not as a guest.

Ms. Samia further said that India has always been a strong ally in the fight against colonialism and together the nations can be a powerful force for effective positive change.

Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship, and S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, both attended the event.

Mr. S Jaishankar stated that despite of the global disruption and challenges posed by the pandemic, both the nations had fruitful bilateral trade and the economic ties have always been a strong pillar for the nations.

According to the Education Minister, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, India is implementing a new National Education Policy based on the pillars of access, equality, quality, affordability, and accountability. The Minister also emphasized India's vibrant higher education ecosystem with 55,000 institutions, 42 million students, and 1.6 million teachers.

Ms. Samia Hassan has received training at the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Hyderabad as a part of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program which is a defense sector training.

The Vice Chancellor of JNU, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit stated that this convocation aims to display "nari shakti" and women-led development in "Amritkaal".