New move to train more dons

By Samuel Kamndaya

Published at: http://thecitizen.co.tz/sunday-citizen/40-sunday-citizen-news/2926-new-move-to-train-more-dons

At least 16 junior academic staff members from the College of Arts and Social Sciences of University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) will undertake doctoNew move to train more dons
By Samuel Kamndaya

At least 16 junior academic staff members from the College of Arts and Social Sciences of University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) will undertake doctoral studies in the next four years.

Dubbed the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), the new initiative launched on Friday aims to develop and deliver an innovative model of doctoral training in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the program manager, Prof Ogoh Alubo.

“The aim is to develop a new generation of African scholars …it aims to produce a critical mass of high quality graduates trained to address complex issues surrounding health and development in Africa,” said Prof Alubo at a function to launch the program held at UDSM last weekend.
CARTA brings together nine African universities, four research institutes, six universities and research institutions from outside Africa.
According to the innovative training model, instead of relying heavily on thesis-based doctoral studies, CARTA PhD candidates will also have to undergo joint advanced seminars and supervise at least two professors.
Apart from UDSM, CARTA will also benefit Uganda’s Makerere University, the University of Malawi, National University of Rwanda, University of Ibadan in Nigeria, South Africa’s University of Witwatersrand as well as Kenya’s Nairobi and Moi universities.
Speaking at the same function, the UDSM deputy vice chancellor for academics, Prof Makenya Maboko, acknowledged the efforts to train more and more lecturers to serve the country’s oldest institution of higher learning.
“Currently, at least 67 per cent of all senior academic staff members at the UDSM are serving under post-retirement contracts… therefore, any effort to train a new blood of lecturers is highly appreciated,” he said.
He said 55 per cent of current academic staff members at the university are holders of either Masters degrees or Bachelor degrees, classified as either tutorial assistants or assistant lecturers.
Earlier, the principal of the UDSM College of Arts and Social Sciences, Prof Bertram Mapunda, said at least 150 academic staff members in his school were either tutorial assistants or assistant lecturers.
“Getting at least 16 lecturers trained under CARTA is like our dreams coming true because it will take years for the government alone to train all of them to PhD level,” he said.
Statistics provided at the function by an associate research scientist from the Nairobi-based African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), Dr Caroline Kabiru, indicated that Africa lost $4 billion in 2007 that was paid to some 150,000 expatriates.
Apart from the APHRC, other research institutes involved in CARTA are Tanzania’s Ifakara Health Research, South Africa’s Agincourt Health and Population Unit and Kenya’s KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme.
Partners include the World Health Organisation (WHO) through its special program for training and research in tropical diseases, the Swiss Tropical Institute, University of Colorado, University of Warwick, Canadian Coalition for Global Health and Australia’s Monash University.
Ends  
wm
ral studies in the next four years.

Dubbed the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), the new initiative launched on Friday aims to develop and deliver an innovative model of doctoral training in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the program manager, Prof Ogoh Alubo.
“The aim is to develop a new generation of African scholars …it aims to produce a critical mass of high quality graduates trained to address complex issues surrounding health and development in Africa,” said Prof Alubo at a function to launch the program held at UDSM last weekend.
CARTA brings together nine African universities, four research institutes, six universities and research institutions from outside Africa.
According to the innovative training model, instead of relying heavily on thesis-based doctoral studies, CARTA PhD candidates will also have to undergo joint advanced seminars and supervise at least two professors.
Apart from UDSM, CARTA will also benefit Uganda’s Makerere University, the University of Malawi, National University of Rwanda, University of Ibadan in Nigeria, South Africa’s University of Witwatersrand as well as Kenya’s Nairobi and Moi universities.
Speaking at the same function, the UDSM deputy vice chancellor for academics, Prof Makenya Maboko, acknowledged the efforts to train more and more lecturers to serve the country’s oldest institution of higher learning.
“Currently, at least 67 per cent of all senior academic staff members at the UDSM are serving under post-retirement contracts… therefore, any effort to train a new blood of lecturers is highly appreciated,” he said.

He said 55 per cent of current academic staff members at the university are holders of either Masters degrees or Bachelor degrees, classified as either tutorial assistants or assistant lecturers.
Earlier, the principal of the UDSM College of Arts and Social Sciences, Prof Bertram Mapunda, said at least 150 academic staff members in his school were either tutorial assistants or assistant lecturers.
“Getting at least 16 lecturers trained under CARTA is like our dreams coming true because it will take years for the government alone to train all of them to PhD level,” he said.

Statistics provided at the function by an associate research scientist from the Nairobi-based African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), Dr Caroline Kabiru, indicated that Africa lost $4 billion in 2007 that was paid to some 150,000 expatriates.

Apart from the APHRC, other research institutes involved in CARTA are Tanzania’s Ifakara Health Research, South Africa’s Agincourt Health and Population Unit and Kenya’s KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme.
Partners include the World Health Organisation (WHO) through its special program for training and research in tropical diseases, the Swiss Tropical Institute, University of Colorado, University of Warwick, Canadian Coalition for Global Health and Australia’s Monash University.

 

 

Tags: CARTA; Ogoh Alubo; Prof Ogoh Alubo;

Related