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Govt expels 39 UDSM students following riots
2008-04-24 10:37:23
By Correspondent Njonanje Samwel
The government yesterday expelled 39 students of the University of Dar es Salaam who took part in a strike that had paralysed the main campus` academic programmes for two days.
In a statement issued yesterday, the government said the expelled would henceforth not be enrolled in any public university in the country.
Earlier on, UDSM Vice- Chancellor Prof. Rwekaza Mukandala had said his administration would not close down the university, insisting that the move was very costly.
Prof. Mukandala`s statement came amid widespread rumours that the university administration might do so due to the ongoing riots at The Hill which had been fuelled by the ongoing students` strike.
The students are on strike pressing the administration to rescind its suspension of their colleagues.
The management last week suspended about 30 students including the Dar es Salaam University Students Organization (DARUSO) prime minister.
On Tuesday students had gone on a strike that caused disruption of studies as some of the rioting students stormed into lecture theatres demanding the reinstatement of their suspended colleagues.
The riots had led to the arrest of 39 students in which at some point police used teargas to disperse the students. The clashes left a number of students with bruises and serious injuries to a police officer.
When interviewed yesterday, Prof. Mukandala said: ``There is no plan to close down the university.
We`ll only take such measures if the situation detereorates further and if we receive orders from higher authorities.``
He denied earlier reports that some students had died in the overnight incursions.
``In a bid to end the ongoing tension at \'The Hill\', we are trying our best to deal with the few elements that have caused insecurity and disruption of studies.
We ordered all students to resume classes by yesterday 12pm and according to university regulations, those who fail to abide by the order should consider themselves deregistered,`` he said.
Prof Mukandala made the remarks when responding to a question on whether his administration would close down the university as a solution to ending the chaos.
``There are several options that can be taken to end the matter rather than closure.
We are currently sorting out names of those who didn`t attend classes and if they have genuine reasons.
Those with reasons will be spared but those without will face disciplinary measures including rusticating them,`` he said.
In another move the university management had ordered all students at `The Hill` to immediately resume classes by yesterday noon.
The varsity announcement signed by its Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Makenya Maboko urged students to resume classes and failure to that they would consider to have been automatically deregistered from studies.
At the university main demonstration assembling area-Revolutionary Square, hundreds of student held placards while singing songs insisting that they will go on striking meanwhile asking for the Vice Chancellor to resign.
They blamed the Vice Chancellor of politically running the varsity. ``He is politically running the institution.
If he lives to his promise of considering the welfare of students, we want him to resign,`` said a couple of students while singing.
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