Transcript STUDENTS OWN GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP …

STUDENTS’ OWN GOVERNANCE AND
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN
DEMOCRATIZATION OF UNIVERSITIES: CASE
STUDIES OF UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM
AND MZUMBE UNIVERSITY
By
Faustin Kamuzora (Mzumbe University)
and
Yunus Mgaya (Univeristy of Dar es Salaam)
Presentation Outline
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Introduction
Importance of Students’ Leadership programmes
Predictors of effective students’ leadership
Theories of Leadership
Sinare Report (2004): Source of Crises in Tanzanian
Universities
• Case Study 1: Democratization of Universities:
University of Dar es Salaam Case Study
• Case study 2: Students Leadership Development at
Mzumbe University
• Conclusion
Introduction
• Paper discusses students democracy process in
Universities using the University of Dar es Salaam
and the importance of students’ leadership
development using Mzumbe University as case
studies
• Key documents guiding the paper:
– The Universities (Student Organizations) Regulations
(Government Notice No. 178, 2009) and the
Guidelines for Drafting of Student Organization
Constitutions in Higher Learning Institutions in
Tanzania (MoEVT, April, 2010).
Importance of Students’ Leadership
programmes
• Leadership can be learned through motivation
and training, and only a few leadership skills
are innate Maxwell (1995)
• Formal and informal leadership development
experiences help individual students place
value in and exhibit heightened personal
characteristics
Predictors of effective students’
leadership
• Individual factors: emotional intelligence, selfefficacy, self-confidence, and extroversion,
• Student experiences and involvement
including academic involvement, studentfaculty relationship, peer relationship,
leadership position in class and in student
organization, and
• University environment (Mozhgan et al.,2007)
Predictors …2
• Peer influence, role model influence,
extroversion, self-confidence, and self-efficacy
(Lloyd, 2006)
• Previous leadership experiences provide
students with a level of self-confidence and an
indication of their success as student leaders.
• Mentoring and guidance while in leadership
roles make the students successful
Theories of Leadership
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Great Man
Trait
Contingency
Situational
Behavioral
Participative
Management (transactional)
Relationship (transformational)
Sinare Report (2004): Source of Crises
in Tanzanian Universities
• The study unveiled several reasons which
contributed to the crises in Tanzanian
universities, lack of effective students leadership
being one of weakest links. Specifically:
– Absence of the culture of smoothly handing over
leadership to the next batch of student leaders,
– Ineffective or poor communication ability with fellow
students,
– Inadequate knowledge of the higher education
institutions (HEIs) and the education sector,
– Inadequate leadership skills,
– Unsustainable student leadership in the long-term.
Effective students leadership defined
• the ability to INFLUENCE others in various directions,
viz, downwards for followers to willingly follow the
leaders in this context fellow students, upwards for
students leaders to the dean of students, DVCs, VC,
Council etc, and this can be done with a presentation
of hard evidence if it is convincing enough as well being
respectful and understanding on the part of student
leaders. Another direction of INFLUENCE is sideways
where colleagues influence each other by showing a
better way, which can be done either by example of by
overtly promoting a new direction.
Case Study 1:
Democratization of Universities:
UDSM Case Study
• Students are primary stakeholders of universities
• What is students’ own governance?
– manner in which students govern their activities,
functions and exercise their political affairs.
– Competitive election on equal basis for both female
and male students.
– Election manifestos which explicitly proclaim
objectives in contesting for leadership positions are
key tools
Manifestation of Democracy
• Presence of clear election manifesto
• Democratic process should be understood by
each of participating community members.
• Accountability (funds are raised and spent
according to the Financial Regulations).
• Equality and liberty promotion
• Freeness and fairness of the electoral process at
all stages from the nomination process,
campaigning, voting, counting and declaration of
results
• Decisions are reached through representative
mechanisms and are legally binding
DARUSO Organs
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University Students’ Representative Council, (USRC)
DARUSO Judicial organ
The DARUSO Cabinet
DARUSO Constitution, May 2012 (formulated according
to the Universities (Students Organizations) Regulation,
2009 as amended in the year 2011
• Students Baraza at the Institute, School and College
Level
• Hall, Block Meetings
Case study 2:
Students Leadership Development at
Mzumbe University (MU)
• Just as UDSM, students at MU elect new
government every year.
• Immediately after the president has formed
his /her government (cabinet, permanent
secretaries, etc) two days workshops are run
to building capacities of new leaders
• Workshop are accorded high priorities (either
VC or DVCs are invited to open or close)
Sample of topics for two days
workshop
TOPIC
DAY TWO
OPENING
Law and Ethics in Governance
Leadership & team work
Meetings & Delegation
Conflict Resolution & Strategic
Negotiations
Financial Management
Public Facilities Management
Communication & Ethics
Closing
Stories of two Student Leaders
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• Leader A:
Had skills to manage tense situation in 1990s
Good leadership skills and ability to exert influence in
all directions
Advantage of self-efficacy or previous leadership
experience because he had been a students’ leader
from primary to both secondary school levels
Benefit of role model as his father was a leader at mid
political level, among others
=> Due to good academic performance he/she was
hired as tutorial assistant, after five years run for
parliament and later rose through political ranks
Stories of two Student Leaders /2
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• Leader B:
Relatively poor academic background as he was
not successful in Advanced level exams
Electoral committee had to bend the then a 3.5
GPA rule to qualify him to run for president
His campaign was funded by self-interest groups
Could not satisfy all funders in cabinet positions
Conflict ridden leadership (living on risk of being
overthrown by his enemies, particularly the
Speaker)
Stories of two Student Leaders /3
• He was forced to re-write a number of
university exam papers as supplementary but
he later finished his leadership without being
overthrown.
• After his term his enemies had him arrested
only to be rescued by University management
• As a result of poor leadership skills a lot of
opportunity costs were incurred by the
university stakeholders (students and
management)
Conclusion
• As primary stakeholders, students have to be
provided space to exercise democratisation
processes of managing their own affairs
• Developing leadership skills of the students is a
virtuous investment to universities and later to
the society in general as most of these end up
becoming national leaders
• Good leaders are developed through concerted
efforts because only a few leadership skills are
inborn
End
• Thank you very much for listening.