By Friday Simbaya, Iringa
The CAMFED TANZANIA in Iringa district has helped 76 girls join higher learning education at various universities in the 2017/2018 year.
The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) helps girls from form one to form six and eventually join higher learning education for girls from poor families with the aim of eliminating them from poverty.
CAMFED Iringa District Coordinator, Abia Mwisaka said this during a conference of girls dubbed as ‘Tertiary Girls’ Forum’ studying at various universities organized by the organization in Iringa yesterday.
She said the girls were helped by the organization to continue with higher education at various universities in Sumbawanga, Njombe and Iringa regions.
Mwisaka said the purpose of the meeting was to look at the various challenges facing the girls in the colleges and universities to see how they could avoid them.
She said that at the conference she also invited various experts to help them in the various areas of life and how they can survive while in the colleges or universities to avoid those challenges.
Invitations at the forum include a health expert who passed them on health issues such as how to protect themselves from HIV / AIDS, early child marriage and child pregnancy.
She said that girls in good health would be able to protect themselves and fulfill their dreams and later get jobs as many girls come from a different environment, while others come from rural areas, where their cannot afford to achieve their goals.
She also said that the girls in the conference took part in the child protection policy on to go about nurture child protection to ensure that the child was protected and respected.
Mwisaka said other invited experts included, Human Resource Officer from Iringa district who invited the girls to write a good CV, write an official letter and what they should do when they were called on for interviews, so that they could not have problems after finishing their studies.
Another spokesman who was invited to the conference was the One of the students loans board who were able to connect the girls with the credit board who told them how to apply for loans and who should qualify for a student loan.
The Credit Officer from Mkwawa University College of Education (MUCE) Dr. Kennedy Muhema under section 16 (1) board is required to extend to loans the needy and eligible students.
Eligible as per section 17 include; must be a Tanzanian, must have been admitted to fully accredited higher education institutions for higher diploma, diploma, and degree o full time basis.
The other one, a person with no financial assistance from any source, continuing student who has passed exams to enable him/her advance to the following year of study.
In his statement from the students loans board, he said that the board since 1994/1995 until 2017/2018 managed to lend to 438,257 students worth 3 trillion / -.
He said that during the year 2017/2018, the board has extended loans 120,417 students, from which 33,857 to the first year and 86,560 students are continuing studies at various universities.
Dr. Muhema also said that during the 2018/2019 academic year the board projects to extend loans 124,000 students, among which 40,544 students were the first year.
Another specialist from Mkwawa University (MUCE) Dr. Winston Mdegella wanted the girls to live their lives and not to live in an artificial life of copying others.
He said college life is a lifestyle that enables one to meditate and to identify himself different with the life of primary and secondary school.
Dr. Mdegella emphasized that college life is a free life but that freedom does not mean to abuse it whose end is not profitable.
He urged girls and other students to study hard and committee their time into lessons and part of the remaining percent should be used on other things.
On the other hand, the Kilolo District Education Officer, Gloria Kang'omba, urged the girls to get out of the box and think beyond because employment has now been difficult but to focus their attention on self-employed.
She said that those girls should be diligent in studies so that they can do well in their exams and eventually grow in the labor market.
Kang'omba said that graduating students in the country are large and each year students at a number of colleges are many, so the girls are becoming more unemployed.
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