WANAFUNZI 800 KUTOFANYA MAHAFALI SAUT MWANZA

Over 800 students form Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) will not be confered with their degrees this year after they failed to meet academic requirements to graduate.

The students are from different departments at the university’s main campus in Mwanza, including some from the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications as well as Education.

SAUT Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr Thadeus Mkamwa told ‘Daily News’ that a total of 2,817 students were expected to graduate this year (November 24), but at least 514 male and 314 female students have failed to meet the academic requirements to do so.

“The number of failures is unprecedented at our university, but we want to ensure academic excellence thus students who graduate here have to meet the stipulated academic requirements,” he said.
The Head of Department (Journalism and Mass Communications), Ms Imane Duwe expressed concern over what she termed as alarming number of failures, saying that in the department alone 84 out of 119 finalists, which is 70 per cent, have not qualified to graduate this year.

Dr Mkamwa observed that among the main reasons for students to fail to graduate this year include incomplete coursework, students’ failure to submit their research work (dissertation), abscondment and others due to failure to pay their tuition fees.

He reassured the public that the institution will continue to take all necessary measures to promote quality education in the country with the aim of producing competent individuals to compete in both the local and international market in their various professional fields.