RUCCI
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 6, 2011
- 1,701
- 1,714
The perpetual problem of higher education students failing to vote in general elections is likely to recur this year, affecting nearly 200,000 young men and women. News that public universities will not re-open until after the General Election on October 25 is likely to deal a blow to the campaign teams banking on the youth to carry the day in the polls.
The Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) has directed all higher learning institutions to push backward the opening dates of the new academic year in order to accommodate the General Election.
The TCU Executive Secretary, Prof Yunus Mgaya, told The Citizen that all higher learning institutions will re-open in November.
The National Electoral Commission (NEC) and higher education authorities have over the years failed to harmonizer their calendars to ensure either of their operations did not bar the student population from casting the all-important vote to elect leaders of their choice.
There is a total of 200, 986 higher leaning students in the country as well as thousands of others in middle level colleges that are also affected.
Student leaders told The Citizen yesterday that a majority of university students may not participate in the October polls following failure to register as voters or transfer their registration data.
Tanzania Higher Learning Students Organisation (Tahliso) confirmed that TCU had already informed all higher learning institutions of the changes and that the academic year will now commence in November instead of September and October.
Tahliso Dar es Salaam zone official Stanslaus Peter said TCU issued a circular to all higher learning institutions in the middle of August directing them to commence studies in November.
According to Tahliso, the consequence is that students may not exercise their democratic right since most of them were left out of the biometric voter registration (BVR) exercise.
Mr Peter told The Citizen that voter registration took place in various regions at a time when students were still in their respective colleges.
"By the time the colleges closed at the end of June, NEC had completed the registration exercise around the country except for Dar es Salaam region alone," he said.
According to Mr Peter, many students had also left Dar es Salaam for respective homes when the exercise kicked off in the city.
"So, we were caught in the middle of a situation we could least influence because of the clashing school calendar and that of NEC. University students who managed to register around their colleges would thus be required to travel back if they hoped to vote in October. For many however that would be a struggle for lack transport and accommodation," said the student leader.
He added: "Even those who registered while at their colleges, they might not vote because the exercise will take place when they are away on leave and some stay far from their registration centres,"
On the failure to transfer data for those who had registered, Mr Peter said there was no enough time for students to transfer data from one place to another.
"Our pleas fell on deaf ears," he said.
Source: The citizen
The Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) has directed all higher learning institutions to push backward the opening dates of the new academic year in order to accommodate the General Election.
The TCU Executive Secretary, Prof Yunus Mgaya, told The Citizen that all higher learning institutions will re-open in November.
The National Electoral Commission (NEC) and higher education authorities have over the years failed to harmonizer their calendars to ensure either of their operations did not bar the student population from casting the all-important vote to elect leaders of their choice.
There is a total of 200, 986 higher leaning students in the country as well as thousands of others in middle level colleges that are also affected.
Student leaders told The Citizen yesterday that a majority of university students may not participate in the October polls following failure to register as voters or transfer their registration data.
Tanzania Higher Learning Students Organisation (Tahliso) confirmed that TCU had already informed all higher learning institutions of the changes and that the academic year will now commence in November instead of September and October.
Tahliso Dar es Salaam zone official Stanslaus Peter said TCU issued a circular to all higher learning institutions in the middle of August directing them to commence studies in November.
According to Tahliso, the consequence is that students may not exercise their democratic right since most of them were left out of the biometric voter registration (BVR) exercise.
Mr Peter told The Citizen that voter registration took place in various regions at a time when students were still in their respective colleges.
"By the time the colleges closed at the end of June, NEC had completed the registration exercise around the country except for Dar es Salaam region alone," he said.
According to Mr Peter, many students had also left Dar es Salaam for respective homes when the exercise kicked off in the city.
"So, we were caught in the middle of a situation we could least influence because of the clashing school calendar and that of NEC. University students who managed to register around their colleges would thus be required to travel back if they hoped to vote in October. For many however that would be a struggle for lack transport and accommodation," said the student leader.
He added: "Even those who registered while at their colleges, they might not vote because the exercise will take place when they are away on leave and some stay far from their registration centres,"
On the failure to transfer data for those who had registered, Mr Peter said there was no enough time for students to transfer data from one place to another.
"Our pleas fell on deaf ears," he said.
Source: The citizen
