News

By UDSM Staff Writer,

“UDSM has set an incredible record on its gender equality initiatives!” This may be the appropriate statement to describe the excitement for the University of Dar es Salaam historic conferring of PhD degrees to more women than men, 36 out of 68, in the 52nd graduation ceremony which was held on 2nd June, 2022 in Dar es Salaam.

The new women PhDs, who most of them also did Science studies, were the talk of the day since, as a norm, for many years the University of Dar es Salaam and other higher learning institutions in Tanzania and elsewhere have seen more men than women graduate with a PhD.

The Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam, Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete congratulated these ‘women heroines’, and said that it was all possible that women perform excellently in academics just as men.

“This is really incredible; and it is quite exemplary that women are able to do all sorts of great things as any other people. Congratulations all of you [women PhD graduates] for a well-deserved achievement”, said Dr. Kikwete.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam, Prof. William Anangisye said in his address that the big number of female PhD graduates this year is a result of deliberate efforts the University is undertaking to ensure there is gender equality in different institutional levels.

“The University of Dar es Salaam has so far successfully taken important initiatives with regard to gender equality. For instance, in the 2021/2022 academic year, up to 50% of the new leaders (principals, deans, directors and heads of departments) appointed to lead colleges, schools, institutes and departments and units were women”, said Prof. Anangisye.

In this first cluster of the 52nd graduation ceremony, 601 individuals graduated with PhDs (68); Masters (400); Postgraduate diploma (4); Doctor of Medicine degree (55); Bachelor degree (64); Diploma (4) and Certificate (6). Overall, 347 (58%) graduates were men and 254 (42%) were women.