Medical student shares experience in academic excellence

The Best Female Form 6 Performer in chemistry for 2013, Lucylight Mallya (second left) shares her joy with past years’ winners after receiving their credentials during the Government Awards in Chemistry ceremony in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Left is Best Male Form 4 Performer for 2012 Zawadi Mdoe; right is Best Male Form 6 Performer for  2012 Robert Kimaryo and second right is Best Male Form 4 Performer, for 2012, Faith Assenga.

( PHOTO By: SALIM SHAO,  

&  

Fariji Msonsa ,The Citizen Reporter)

• The first year medical student at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Muhas) does not take her success  for granted. She knows any other Tanzanian girl can excel and meet their dreams if the requisite conditions are created for them from early on in their schooling life.

Dar es Salaam. Ms Lucy Mallya has already tested success in her academic pursuits and yesterday added to the silver lining by receiving  a monetary token for her record as Tanzania’s leading female performer in chemistry in the 2013 form six national examination  results.

The first year medical student at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Muhas) does not take her success  for granted. She knows any other Tanzanian girl can excel and meet their dreams if the requisite conditions are created for them from early on in their schooling life.

She readily shared her experience at the award ceremony yesterday where she was among those who were awarded as a motivation by the ministry of health and the office of the government chemist to recognise and encourage those who want to pursue science-related field to help curb a big shortage of such cadres of human resource in the country.    

According to Ms Mallya, providing adequate learning materials in schools is one of the means to encourage students in secondary schools pursue science subjects and aspire for higher education levels. She said apart from her own efforts, the schools she went to were well equipped and supportive for those pursuing science courses. She was a student at Marian Girls in Bagamoyo.

She said most of the schools,  especially public ones,  lack important tools,  including laboratories, apparatus and chemicals for practical learning. “It is upon the government to ensure that before a school is opened, learning essentials are provided,” she said. “Some people have a notion that science subjects are hard, but all this is because of inadequate learning equipment and well trained science teachers, hence making the  learning environment even harder for pupils. But if the government decides to provide all these,  more pupils will opt for science,” she said.

On the other hand, she said science is vital for the nation’s development, but poor learning environment adds to inadequate personnel produced.

Prof Samwel Manyele, the government  chemist, said the awards given to a total of 24 best form four performers in chemistry in 2011/12 and 2012/13 and form six pupils of 2012/13 and 2013/14 are meant to encourage more pupils join science courses and help the government raise more human capital.

He said, however,  that the plan to train more professionals should go in hand with the installation of working tools, including DNA test machines, for which so far,  the whole country depends on the headquarters. According to him, this delays the results and sometimes has caused unnecessary suffering to the suspects whose cases require DNA tests.

“We now have plans to have DNA samples preparation machines in various parts of the country to speed up  the tests and release the results on time. However, resources have been delaying the process given the high  cost of purchasing the machine;  so it  is the government that should make the purchase,” said Prof Manyele.