TCU: 20,000 higher level students with multiple admissions may be locked out

It’s partly within, partly outside

..As 20,000 higher level students with multiple admissions may be locked out

THERE is a great possibility that 20,000 students who got multiple admissions at different higher learning institutions may be locked out by the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) to pursue their studies, if they did not confirm only one preferred university of their choice by yesterday.

Students with multiple admissions were working around the clock for the better part of yesterday to beat the deadline. They only had until 10:00p.m to confirm to the universities of their choice before TCU gave a green light to successful applicants after verification of names admitted to higher learning institutions for the 2017/2018 academic year.

Since the government banned TCU from admitting students to various higher learning institutions, students are now forced to apply for admission at their preferred universities, which are supposed to subsequently forward the names to TCU for verification.

TCU spokesperson Edward Mkaku told the ‘Daily News’ yesterday that the verification exercise found out that 20,000 students had been admitted to more than one higher learning institution and that they had until yesterday at 10:00p.m to confirm only one preferred university of their choice.

Some students who had multiple admissions told the ‘Daily News’ that they were encountering challenges in their bid to communicate to some universities so as to withdraw their names. According to them, some of the universities were reluctant to withdraw their admissions.

For example, one student (name withheld), was admitted to St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications, and was at the same time admitted to Muslim University of Morogoro (MUM) to pursue a Bachelors in Education.

“I have been trying to call MUM to withdraw my admission to no avail, and they have consistently been telling me that they have already forwarded my name to TCU,’’ he said, adding that he had already confirmed his admission at SAUT.

However, Mr Mkaku warned the universities that were reluctant to heed to the demands of applicants to stop immediately. “These are awkward cases because the universities have no mandate to force students to study at their campuses,’’ he said.

Asked if the ministry had any plans to extend the deadline, to enable students with multiple admissions confirm their admissions at a single university, the Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Professor Joyce Ndalichako, said she could not comment on the matter as she was yet to receive any information from TCU on the issue.

“I cannot make any comment because I have yet to receive information and I think if it will require the ministry’s intervention, I believe TCU will consult me,’’ she said in a telephone interview.

TCU completed verification of the first phase of students who had requested for admission directly to various higher learning institutions for 2017/2018 academic year on August 30, 2017, and opened room for re-application for students who had received multiple admissions, among other groups between October 4 and 10, 2017.

During the first phase, according to information available on the TCU website, the verification concluded that 180,640 names had been submitted from different universities but there were different anomalies, including repetition of names.

However, TCU made verification and remained with 77,756 names of all requests sent to uni versities, out of which only 44, 627 had successfully been selected by the respective universities with the remaining 33,129 either failing to meet the criteria or because of competitiveness.

And, out of 44,627, TCU gave a nod to only 20,247 students who had been selected by only one university. The remaining number had been admitted to more than one higher learning institution, a move that prompted the universities watchdog to call for confirmation of only one university by students.

Yesterday, Mr Mkaku insisted that the successful students have until October 30 to report to their respective universities, asking the higher learning institutions to forward the names of successful applicants to the Higher Education Students’ Loans Board (HESLB).

SOURCE= DAILY NEWS