DUCE ready for Master’s degree with Education

Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam University College of Education (Duce) is set to introduce a Master’s degree with Education effective next academic year.

According to Duce Principal professor William Anangisye, his college will be the first in the country to offer the programme and that it would kick off in September next year.

He was speaking on the sidelines of week-long 10-year anniversary celebrations that kicked off at Duce campus yesterday.

According to him, plans are underway by the university administration to launch the programme officially, and that all important information would be provided.

“Many universities offer a Master of Arts in Education (MA Ed) which is different from Master of Arts with Education which is more advanced,’’ he insisted.

The Duce boss added that more lecturers were soon envisaged to graduate in their Master’s and PhD programmes in different universities, after which they would join Duce to groom students.

Speaking at the launch of the week-long celebrations, Prof Anangisye said his college had recorded a commendable achievement since its establishment in 2005,but there were still a number of challenges.

He named them as lack of enough lecturers and that 35 per cent of full-time lecturers were still pursuing postgraduate studies. According to him, the college had only 195 lecturers out of whom 37 had PhDs.

He said 104 academicians were still pursuing their studies, a situation which he said created a huge deficit that was currently covered through the use of part-time lecturers. He added also that there was also lack of science students because many did not meet entry requirements. He said this was fuelled by poor performance in Form Six examinations.

For his part, University of Dar es Salaam Vice Chancellor Professor Rwekaza Mukandala said there was a need to improve Duce’s infrastructure as well as train more lecturers.

“We still need to create a conducive environment for our students to learn, intensify our research and all other social services should be provided professionally to retain the name of our university that is recognized internationally,’’ he said.

Prof Mukandala noted that any university that did not offer its contribution to the society is deemed to have lost its direction.