History of Edgar Maranta Ifakara College
Edgar Maranta Ifakara College was formed through the merger of two nursing institutions: the General Nursing Upgrading Course (GNDUC), commonly known as Ifakara Nursing, and the Edgar Maranta School of Nursing. The General Nursing Upgrading Course (GNDUC) was established in September 1994 with the purpose of providing upgrading courses for nurses, specifically those working at St. Francis Referral Hospital (SFRH). Its main goal was to enhance the skills and qualifications of in-service nurses to meet the growing demands of healthcare in the region. In 2004, the Edgar Maranta School of Nursing was founded to offer pre-service training. The school was named in honor of the first Archbishop of the Mahenge Catholic Diocese, Edgar Maranta. This institution was created to increase healthcare manpower, particularly during student rotations, with some graduates being immediately employed by hospitals upon completing their studies.
In January 2013, the Ifakara Nursing program was fully integrated into the Edgar Maranta School of Nursing, resulting in a single college of nursing. Nearly a decade later, in 2022, the institution was renamed Edgar Maranta Ifakara College to reflect its expanded mission and the introduction of diverse academic programs.
The college is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Ifakara and is part of the Ifakara Cluster, a collaborative network that includes SFRH, TTCIH, IHI, SFUCHAS, GSCH, SolidarMed Tanzania, and the Nazareth Leprosarium Centre. Through a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), members of the cluster work together, sharing both human and material resources to strengthen healthcare education and services in the region.
