Govt urged to increase investment in science subjects

Co- Founder and Executive Director of Young Scientists Tanzania (YST) Dr Gozbert Kamugisha made the call yesterday in Dar es Salaam during a farewell function held for two Tanzanian students who won a scholarship to study science and technology in Dublin, Ireland.
“We still have a major problem in getting science graduates because too few students are enrolling for science subjects,” Kamugisha said and cited limited teaching and learning facilities as part of the problem.

He suggested the need for teachers to dwell more on practicals rather than relying on theories; “practices make students understand more and even like science subjects rather theories.”
“As parents, we should also inculcate a culture whereby our children are raised in line with their talents,” he urged.
Those who won the scholarships are Edwin Luguku and Method John both from Mzumbe Secondary School in Morogoro .The two are to fly Dublin, Ireland next week after they became the overall winners of the Young Scientists Tanzania exhibition in August 2015.
The two students emerged overall winners with their scientific research on Reducing the Use of Plastic Bags in Tanzania .
They also won cash prizes along with the trip that is sponsored by Irish Aid to visit Dublin, Ireland to represent Tanzanian students in the Irish based young scientist’s exhibitions.
On her part Devotha Rubama, the Karimjee Jivanjee Foundation Manager said the two winners will receive scholarships from the foundation to study in University when they complete their high school education.
“The students will travel to Dublin next week to attend the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, an Irish annual school students' science competition which aims at encourage interest in science in primary and secondary schools,” she detailed.
The Honorary Chairman of Karimjee Jivanjee Group of Companies in Tanzania, Hatim Karimjee said; “we are very honoured to support the Young Scientist Tanzania Award because we believe that education is very important to the future development of Tanzania and also because science education in particular can open opportunities for higher level career development.”
Karimjee said although KJF’s main focus at the moment is funding educational institutions to improve education capacity, the Karimjee family also established several charity trusts in the 1950’s before Independence.
“We have built many schools, hospitals, dispensaries, mosques and community centers,” he said.
Edwin Luguku and Method John from Mzumbe Secondary School said that YST comes as a savior for them too because; “it made us brainstorm on how we can use this science and technology competition to create instruments that will prove useful in solving different issues as they arise,” she said.
”We truly ask the government and other organisations out there to keep sponsoring such kinds of event so that to encourage students to take sciences subjects,,” they appealed.