This is Stella Maris Mtwara University College

Stella Maris Mtwara University College (STeMMUCo), which is found in Mtwara region, is a constituent college of Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) located in Mwanza. STELLA MARIS is a Latin name signifying the star of the ocean  STeMMUCo is found at about 200 to 300 meters away from the shores of the Indian ocean, thus the name stella maris indeed and really fits well as a name to the college.

Location of Stella Maris Mtwara University College

Stella Maris Mtwara University College is located within Mtwara – Mikindani Municipality. The former is the central business district (CBD) of the Mtwara region. The district is one among other districts namely Tandahimba best known for its best cashew nut in the world, Newala known best for its great cashew nuts too as it borders Tandahimba. Masasi is another district located at a junction leading to other districts and regions thus making it an attractive area for commercial activities. Nanyamba is yet another district found in the Mtwara region.

Mtwara- Mikindani being the  CBD of Mtwara region accommodates most important business activities and has most services needed for businesses. It is in the municipality that we find banks, hotels, marketing centers, and the Mikindani coastal heritage town. Some of the banks found in the town include: CRDB, NMB, NBC, PBZ, EXIM, TCB, BOA, and the branch of the Bank Of Tanzania -Mtwara (BOT). For accommodation there are facilities of different levels local and international. Some of the notable hotels in the CBD include Old Boma in Mikindani, Tiffany Diamond hotel Mtwara, Naf Beach Hotel Mtwara, and many more.

It is in the Mtwara district that the third largest port in the country, which is very close to STeMMUCo about 1 kilometer away is located in there. There are health facilities that are found and are accessible to individuals in the area. The regional referral hospital of Ligula and the Southern zonal referral hospital at Mitengo are both found in the district. The district has several primary, secondary schools and other tertiary level colleges. Thus Mtwara is indeed a town full of activities.

Hence Stella Maris Mtwara University College could easily be reached. It is at about 561 Kilometers away from Dar es Salaam; the largest commercial city of Tanzania. The distance between Mtwara and Dar es Salaam is such that one can travel to and from by road in a day as it may take a 6 – 8 hours drive for one way.

Ownership and Purpose of Establishment

STeMMUCo is a private and secular higher learning institution owned by the Tanzania Episcopal Conference. STeMMUCo started its operations in 2009.  When established it had the vision which puts accent on holistic formation of a human person for national development. It was purposefully established in southern Tanzania so as to participate in uplifting the levels of education in the region.

For a long time the region has been lagging behind other regions when it comes to social service provision and development in general. In Tanzania a part from having a low university enrolment rate, there are also disparities in accessibility of higher education. A great number of universities are found in other regions such as Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Mbeya, Iringa, and Arusha.

SAUT found it appropriate to establish a center which was later upgraded into a university college. It is foreseen that the college would become a full fledged university in the sourthern zone and thus shade more educational light and this vision is in line with the country’s development agenda 2025 which proposes people’s high quality of life, a well educated population and a learning society which will be able to take seriously the country’s agenda of people’s development.

Upon its establishment, STeMMUCo had most of its students coming from other regions apart from Mtwara and Lindi. Today as we write the article cards have turned upside down as most students especially those of the non-degree programmes come from the southern regions of Mtwara, Lindi and Ruvuma though there are students who still come as far as Kigoma, Mwanza, and Kagera.

Student Life at STeMMUCo and services

Students at STeMMUCo have their student government which in collaboration with the college leadership coordinates all daily common activities in a life of a student at the college.

There are accommodation facilities in the college compound, however, more facilitates are found in the neighborhood. getting a room from the neighborhood is encouraged especially for those coming from other regions as it is an opportunity for them to interact with the local population and learn from their culture.

What Programmes Does STeMMUCo Offer?

Stella Maris Mtwara University College offers various academic programmes aimed at empowering students with skills that help those who accomplish their studies go for self employment or get employed by the government or in the private sector. Some of the programmes include the following:

1. Bachelor of Arts with Education – BAED
2. Bachelor of Philosophy with Education – BPHILED
3. Bachelor of Arts in Sociology – BASO
4. Bachelor of Laws – LL.B
5. Bachelor of Philosophy with Political Science – BPHILOP
6. Bachelor of Business Administration – BBA
7. Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Statistics – BSC MATH&STAT
8. Bachelor of Science with Education –
9. Diploma in Business Administration
10. Diploma in Community Development
11. Diploma in Laws
12. Diploma in Accountancy
13. Diploma in Procurement and Supply Chain Management
14. Diploma in Librarianship and Records Management
15. Certificate in Business Administration
16. Certificate in Community Development
17. Certificate in Laws
18. Certificate in Procurement and Supply Chain Management
19. Certificate in Librarianship and Records Management
20. Certificate in Accountancy

The aim of STeMMUCo just as the aim of any university in the world is to train students to be able to think critically and independently. As they study specific specialization the aspect of critical and independent thinking should be held close at heart when students continue with their course of study.

Why did you choose STeMMUCo for your University studies?

This question carries the theme of our article. This question was directed to students. When they were asked the question, they came up with a number of answers of which I am willing to share some of them. These few that I share with you dear readers should help us know why do youth come to Mtwara.

• “My parents wanted me to study in a small town”

I come from Dar es Salaam; a city full of activities and many of them would distract a student from concentrating in their studies. That being the case my parents advised me to come to Mtwara because they perceived Mtwara to be a small town without much distraction to a student. Though, I came because of my parents’ advice I like the experience…

• “I wanted to learn more about Jando and Unyago”

I have heard from friends and even from my secondary school teachers about these traditional rites of passage of Jando and Unyago. I wanted to discover by myself and so I thought it was worthy passing my three years at STeMMUCo while learning and discovering too about these traditional rites of passage.

• “I wanted to discover this part of the country”

Another student I encountered agues that she wanted to discover by herself this part of the country. Being a student of history she thought that she would be able to learn more about this part of the region which participated in the Majimaji uprising. Majimaji uprising was a reaction of the local people in Tanganyika, especially in the southern region, who resisted against German colonial rule in Tanganyika then and today modern Tanzania.

• “Advise from one of my teachers”

One of the students I met argued that he came to Mtwara because of the advice from one of his teachers. The teacher in question is an alumnus of STeMMUCo as he is among pioneers of the college, and so the teacher in question wanted his student to experience what he had experienced himself in Mtwara. This is indeed interesting, and imposes a question here to you and me:  do you want others to experience the good things you have experienced yourself in life?

Conclusion on why studying at STeMMUCo

On a concluding note, we see that when one makes his/her for University studies at STeMMUCo then they automatically have access to all the facilities found in the Mtwara region. The region is opening up as the discovery of the natural gas is likely to come with economic effects that will help in improving people’s life including you when you will be in Mtwara.

Furthermore, The Dangote Cement Company found some few kilometers outside of the Mtwara-Mikindani Municipality has economic trickle down effects as the industry produces lots of cement that simplifies activities in the construction industry.

STeMMUCo keeps on improving its programmes so as to meet needs of the employers. It continues to produce learned individuals who are holistically trained and are ready to face their environment with courage and needed skills so as to keep on contributing to the country’s development agenda when they are employed or when in self employment.