Nageena Jha, writing for TAMWA, followed up the process of engendering engineering and science faculties in UDSM as she narrates:Dr. Felister Urassa of the College of Natural Applied Sciences at the University of Dar es Salaam is one of the lecturers who implemented that affirmative action. She recently revealed that the gender programme had mentored and produced more than 580 women scientists working in different disciplines all over Tanzania.Giving the background and the outcome of the science field engendering process at a Forum of 50 Yea
rs of the University of Dar e s Salaam, the don said the programme which started in 1997 and completed in 2006 had produced best women scientists both national and institutional prize winners.Am telling you women scientists did wonders, it is epitomized in prizes given by the Ministry of Higher Learning and Technology to girls from secondary schools to the universities. In the year 1998 the prize winners were women, for instance a female student at the former University of Dar es Salaam constituent college -UCLAS got the prize from that Ministry.Expounding further, Dr. Urassa noted that the year 1998 witnessed another student registered through the processes of empowering women to join science courses doing great wonders, adding that the student was doing Bachelor of Science Nursing at Muhimbili where she won three awards and she was the most outstanding performer of the year.
The renowned female scientist noted that in 1997 UDSM started to empower female students to join science discipline through affirmative action called Pre-Entry Programme (PEP) which catered for girls.The PEP was initiated at the Faculty of Science and Education. The first group was admitted into Bachelor in Science with Education. The main goal was to prepare the students for admission into the university who had principals but because of higher competition female students missed the chance, noted Dr Urassa.The students were given basic training in Biology, Maths, Geography and a bit of communication skills in an eight week course and that at the end students wrote the exam and those who passed were sent in to the science courses at Muhimbili and UCLAS which were UDSM constituent colleges.
They joined various disciplines such as Wildlife, Nursing, and Bachelor of Medicine some in Dentistry.Other students went into other programmes such as Bachelor of Science General, and most of them were admitted through PEP.In the academic year 2001/02, she said, 80 per cent of female students in Physics and Maths were admitted through PEP.Dr. Urassa noted that at the University PEP was opposed but, in as much as there was opposition, PEP students did very well and their performance was not different from the rest of the students in the class.She said in as much as they did well as others there were some outstanding highlights in the academic year 2000/01 where the best performance in Physics in the final year was the product of PEP likewise in 2000/2003 when the best performer in Mathematics was the PEP student admitted in Bachelor of Science in Computers with Mathematics.
The don gave statistics that indicated that seven of the PEP students have been recruited as academic staff as a result they were now contributing to raising the number of female academic staffs and female scientists in the country while others have completed their PhDs and some are finalizing theirs.Discussing the PEP achievements and the eventualities, one of champions of the UDSM affirmative action to redress gender balances in engineering courses Dr. Noel Nalitolela from the College of Engineering and Technology (COET) recounted that the affirmative programme has removed the over time belief that some subjects such as engineering are reserved for men.
He noted that COET has managed to reverse that trend by empowering female engineers and increasing their confidence and capabilities in pursing the engineering discipline.He, however, was of the view that a huge task remained ahead.He observed that in order for gender imbalances in higher learning institution and other areas of studies to be adequately addressed, the starting point should be tackling the problem of few girls taking science subjects at secondary school level.Nalitolela emphasized that the government should put in place a special programme to stimulate and facilitate girls to study science disciplines in secondary schools.As we are moving towards another 50 years of the University, we should not rely on the admission of girls at the tertiary colleges alone.We need to visit secondary schools to sell the ideas and promote studying science to female students. We should also ensure that PEP programme is locally funded instead of depending largely on donors,” he stressed.
On the same line of argument Nalitolela recommended that the government has to increase the number of schools for science subjects for girls and ensure an increase in laboratory facilities, while at the same time to providing for a proper environment to attract and retain science teachers in secondary schools that offer science subjects to girls.On the other hand he appealed to the private sector to support the programme by giving scholarships to girls who want to study science courses in various learning institutions.On her part, Dr Ave Maria, from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) suggested that in order to redress gender imbalances in science discipline there is a need for further affirmative action particularly to sensitize and support women scientists at all levels.Women needed to be sensitized to venture into science because some might study science in the lower levels but can decide to study business or law at the university hence more sensitization to students, parents and the communities.Another option can be to identify the stakeholders, find what is the suitable option to increase the number of female scientists in the country, identify roles of every stakeholder and that has to be done by various stakeholders such as UDSM, COET, CONAS, investors and the government,Dr Maria said.But just to think aloud: Are women in Africa and Tanzania in particular, prepared to walk the walk to take up the affirmative action agenda in the field of science?
Most women in the present times love to beautify themselves, the majority wasting most of their time putting make-up, some use even the forbidden skin lightening creams to highlight their beauty. Is it that many of them think about becoming more attractive than getting into difficult fields?But too, women are fond of ridding posh cars, living in up-market areas, using expensive cell phones such as black berry and i-phones. Are they really interested in burning up their soft fingers to pursue science and technology subjects which will eventually lead to solving women specific problems? These are soul-searching questions that demand answers.
