What happened at varsity week

So you want to join a higher learning institution for undergraduate studies? Always listen to what your heart tells you and always follow your dreams.

Times have not changed, young people are still subject to pressure from their parents on the kind of subjects to pursue and what university to attend once they are done with high school.

Such pressure has seen students lose focus of their studies and end up making wrong choices and kiss their dream courses and professions goodbye.

Daniel Mabula is a typical example to such an experience.

When he finished High School in 2003, Daniel was on the verge of realising his lifetime dream of becoming a lawyer after completing university.

He had long prepared for this, having pursued the History, Geography and Language(HGL) while a student at Makongo High School in Dar es Salaam and excelled in the 2005 advanced certificate of secondary education national examinations.

“I have always wanted to become a lawyer and my grades after high school examinations favoured me,” says the 29 year-old.

But a pep talk he had with his father one week before his sat his matriculations at the University of Dar es Salaam(UDSM) quashed his lifetime dream of joining the judicial circle.

His father was a sociologist and so he wanted his son to follow his footsteps, an idea that Daniel was not ready to buy, but did not want to appear disrespectful to his father.

“He insisted that it would take me long before I get admitted to the bar, he instead insisted that I should apply for a three year course in sociology,” recalls Daniel, who is now working with a non-government organisation based in Mwanza.

Daniel joined a profession he was ‘forcefully’ dragged into by his father, and two years since he secured himself employment at the NGO, he still regrets his father’s decision.

University week

Daniel, who during this interview, was among a score of Dar residents gathered at the Aga Khan Diamond Jubilee Hall during the university week exhibition, says he always wanted to do something challenging, which he says has gone missing in the world of sociology.

“To date, I still think I was denied the opportunity of realising my dream, something that many students go through,” he says.

It is always good for a student to make their own decisions, especially when it comes to course selections, as forcing them to do things that they are not interested in, is nothing short of dealing huge blows in their academic lives.

Mr Liu Meng, an associate professor with Southwest University of China, says those who complete high school need to do enough research of kind of courses they want to pursue, free from any external pressure.

A peak at such courses helps them to understand their pros and cons, and gauge if they are feasible courses.

“In a competitive world students are advised to make right choices when selecting courses, this would boost their chances of getting employment,” he says.

Mr Meng, whose university is gaining popularity among students in Tanzania, says there are some courses which are not worth pursuing as they offer little or no challenge in the competitive world.

Referring to his university, where he is also the executive dean of international college, Mr Meng says that they have tried to roll out a number of courses which have in fact turned into the most sought after courses.

Unlike other Chinese-based universities where it is compulsory for foreigners to learn Chinese during their first year, Mr Meng says his college doesn’t require that.

Ms Prim Tumuramye, a Public Relations Officer with Ugandan Christian University in Mukono, Uganda suggests that students need to have prior knowledge of courses before joining any institution.

Having a thorough knowledge of the courses would help in moulding their students’ careers, according to Ms Tumuramye.

Studying abroad

According to the Public Relations Officer, Tanzania accounts for the highest number of foreign students at the university. “They are probably over 100 Tanzanian students here whereby Southern Sudan follows closely,” she says. Describing the Ugandan Christianity University, Ms Tumuramye says it offers best courses and they were happy that their students graduated on time, free from academic hitches.

“At our university students have the privilege of evaluating their lecturers, this has helped us in bridging the gap between the staff and students,” she added. For his part, Mr Laurenti Masui, a quality assurance officer with St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) in Mwanza, is of the opinion that career advice needs to be given to students when they are still in secondary school.

Mr Masui insists that career guidance helps students to shape their professional destinies and is paramount in their academic lives.

“The problem with our education system is that career education has become a far-fetched thought,

students pursue courses due to peer, public and parents’ pressure,” underpins Mr Masui.

According to Mr Masui, it is very important for university hopefuls to have course and programs essentials on their fingertips before doing any application. The quality assurance director faults students for counting on the popularity of some courses and find themselves at wrong places.

“Experience shows that some students rush into some courses basing on their popularity, no wonder we have seen an influx of graduates into the banking sector, something they had not intended to do in the first place,” he says.

Mr Masui also opines that people who have made it in some careers need to pay frequent visits to some schools in a bid to inspire university helpfuls on what they want to do in the future.

“In some countries, career guidance is the order of the day, and this has helped students a great deal,” adds Mr Masui.A quick look on SAUT’s course catalogue established that programs like mass communication, public relations, procurement and logistics and law were on offer. Other courses are human resources management, marketing management and health administration.

[email protected]