SAUT VC stresses research for academic excellence 

THE Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) Vice-Chancellor Prof Costa Ricky Mahalu has urged lecturers to encourage students to research and publish academic works in order for the institution to attain academic excellence.

Prof Mahalu issued the call during a special interview with the ‘Daily News’ at the ongoing Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) exhibitions held at Mnazi Mmoja grounds in Dar es Salaam.

Prof Mahalu said at the heart of academic excellence is research, teaching, learning and ability to publish as many academic works as possible.

In his usual calm, falling tone, Prof Mahalu explained that despite having no concrete data at hand, his five years as the Vice Chancellor at SAUT has seen improvement and an increase in the number of publications.

Also Prof Mahalu noted that SAUT has done some research and publications that promote academic, socio economic and political development.

He said in the past five years, SAUT lecturers have conducted research in educational foundations and the results of the research findings have been used to write books and publications which are currently used in teaching.

He said while the number of researches conducted has been increasing, the challenge is to ensure the publications are for the public consumption.

“Instead of keeping the research findings on the shelves of our Learning Resources Centre, we are struggling to find ways for the communities to easily access such useful documents and make appropriate use,” Prof Mahalu emphasised.

He urged SAUT lecturers to consider the idea of looking at their students as colleagues in academics.

“Some of the lecturers do not involve students in their academic works and this is not the challenge facing SAUT alone.”

“I think it is the matter of mindset that lecturers do not see students as potential scholars or colleagues in academics to team up with in preparing projects and in researching and publishing articles in different academic journals,” added Amb Mahalu.

He also challenged students to get bold and publish some research because publications help in displaying one’s expertise” and a way to get recognised as a good scholar.

Prof Mahalu disclosed that SAUT has plans to get the best papers of students published and encouraged lecturers to find ways to help students publish as means to live up the university ideal of academic excellence.

SAUT is famously known for offering Journalism and Mass Communication programmes. The University also provides both non degree and degree programmes in engineering, education, business and law.

Lately, following the good performance of SAUT students at School of law, the university has placed itself as among best performing universities in law programmes.

On his part SAUT Public Relations Officer Merdad Wilfred said conducting research is one of the priorities of SAUT, adding; “the university does engage in research projects that are geared to solve community problems.”

“SAUT students in collaboration with their lecturers from department of Mass Communication and Law did conduct a research in 2008 which exposed the killings of old-women on suspicion that they were witches and superstitious in Shinyanga. The research didn’t support the community claim instead established that the red eyes among old-aged women was due to smoke following the use of firewood and cow dung in cooking,” he revealed.

“It was the results of that research which resulted in the establishment of the Human Rights Centre at SAUT- Mwanza as a way of offering human rights service to the Lake zone communities,” Merdad said.

He also said SAUT is famously known for addressing socio-political problems in the lake zone– regions of Mwanza, Shinyanga and Musoma.

He added that SAUT Lecturers from the department of economy also participated in the economic projects funded by the World Bank as researchers to address the economy of Lake Victoria and the environmental problem assessment.