October 2010
THE University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), popularly known as the ‘Hill’ will turn 50 years old next year; all of its alumni are requested to contribute for its development.
On Friday last week the venue that used to look so spacious turned out to be too small to accommodate the ever increasing population in pursuit for education, consultation and other serious visits.
The UDSM convocation was used as an occas
ion to launch a series of activities aiming at galvanize collection of funds and sensitize people for festivities that will culminate in October 2011, when the university would have reached 50 years since its inception.
On October 25th, 1961: The academic journey of what is now known as the University of Dar es Salaam stared. Few understand the history of the university.
For instance only a handful understands that a university which currently enrolls over 18,000 students started with 14 students only. It started as the University College with a special relationship with the University of London.
A single Faculty of Law offered courses at Lumumba Street in a building given by the then Tanganyika African National Union (TANU). There were 6 academic members of staff including one African from Uganda.
While there were 14 students who were registered there was a single female, Julie Manning who was later to become the first female judge in Tanzania, and minister for legal affairs. Over years the university has undergone major changes in order to cope with time, changes and demands.
The guest of honour was the Prime Minister of the United of Republic of Tanzania Mizengo Pinda who did not hesitate to show his worry in the dangers of continuing to use the infrastructure that was never meant for this big population.
The PM himself an alumni of the Hill, promised to contribute Tshs 10 millions yearly for the next five years (a total of 50m) if he will continue to serve in his capacity, this eventually pre-empted Bernard Membe to do the same as he promised to contribute Tshs 5 millions for the next five years.
But the PM did not forget to remind the general public that one good aspect of the UDSM was its ability to serve daughters and sons of the poor Tanzanians who can not manage to send those in expensive education institutions.
Himself a son of a peasant he revisit the reminiscences of his years at the Hill from 1971-74. Quite along time but the tertiary institute of academic excellence has maintained the same quality.
Probably much of what ensue currently at the Hill were said by Prof Paramagamba Kabudi, a law professor and dean of the faculty of law, he narrated at length the contribution of the university to the community in general in many aspects. New universities that emanated from the UDSM are Ardhi, Sokoine, Muhimbili, DUCE, and MUCE
A remnant of the tastes of what used to be known as the “Dar es Salaam School of Thought” Prof Kabudi is amongst very few academics who can salute you by saying ‘comrade’ the term which disappeared very fast after the collapse of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR ) and its satellite states of Eastern Europe.
Giving a hint of the university, the incumbent Vice Chancellor Prof Rwekeza Mukandala hinted on the realization of how the existing staff is overburdened by an increasing number of students.
However, he assured the audience that this will not mean to reduce the admission of students but on the opposite it will entail to recruit more lecturers in order to meet the demand of students.
Professor Mukandala himself a graduate of UDSM did not hesitate to remind the audience that apart from academic pursuits the university has also become a centre of other social issues including marriage bonds as some of the matrimonial relations started at the ‘Hill’.
He did not hide the fact that the university has always been in a tug-of-war with the government, and he seconded that this should continue because at the end of the day it has its own merits.
It is true that the Hill has formed a ‘pressure group’ in its own because that is where the mind sets are sharpened and revitalized in order to serve the community in a more sober approach.
This means while the Tanzanian government did not see it was wrong to use the Hill as a centre for consultancy in matters of liberation due to the brains that were easily available for immediate comments.
Strange enough is the fact that the Tanzanian government has never been comfortable when the Hill appears to be critical in many of its decisions.
Thus Prof Mkandala was not hesitant to mention that the relation between the Tanzanian government and the Hill has always been that one would term of mutual suspicion.
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