Mahalu blames lecturers for law school failures

The Vice-Chancellor of Saint Augustine University (Saut), Prof Diplomat Costa Mahalu. PHOTO | MCL

What you need to know:

  • Prof Mahalu says poor results from students was due to incapable teachers, who tend to be semi-gods and happy to see students fail their exams

Mwanza. The Vice-Chancellor of Saint Augustine University (Saut), Prof Diplomat Costa Mahalu, has asked the lecturers at the Law School of Tanzania (LST) to reflect on whether they are fulfilling their duties to perfection following the failure of 607 out of 633 students who took the bar exam at the college.

Besides, the former Ambassador to Italy said the exam results are a shame that should not be turned a blind eye, saying a thorough scrutiny is needed to get an earlier remedy.

“If you have 633 students, then only 26, equivalent to 4.1 percent are successful, it is a shame to teachers because one of the main qualities of a teacher is to make his students succeed with skills and knowledge in their fields.


“This issue of the Law School should not be turned a blind eye,” said Prof Mahalu, a former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM).

According to the bar exam results at LST, only 26 students, equivalent to 4.1 percent, have passed, while 342 are required to resit some exams while 265, equivalent to 41.9 percent have been disqualified, while the college administration throws the ball to higher learning institutions for poor preparations of graduates in their degrees.

“It is impossible that those who fail the bar exam at LST do not have the skills and knowledge in their studies from the colleges they studied. No! There is a problem at the Law School and a solution must be found,” said Prof Mahalu.

“In my experience, poor results from students are due to incapable teachers, some tend to be semi-gods, who want students to fear and tremble at them, some teachers do not want others to achieve their standards, these are the teachers who are happy to see their students fail the exams,” he said.

Then, he said they are those teachers who teach with all their abilities and efforts to equip graduates with skills and knowledge in their fields. This group gets hurt and becomes restless when their students fail.


According to Prof Mahalu, the basis and goal of establishing the LST was to enable law graduates to get practical education from judges, magistrates and lawyers, whose daily activities are with court cases, a foundation that need to be protected and managed.

“Professors specialised in theories should not be sent to teach students at LST. Doing so, is to violate the primary goal of the establishment of the college for graduates to get practical education and experience from those in the field (those at work),” he said.

According to him, the goal was very much clear when in the year 1996 made a request for the establishment of LST to the then Second President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, during the 25th anniversary of the Faculty of Law at the UDSM.