Stella Maris Mtwara University College
Situated in the Mtwara region, Stella Maris Mtwara University college (STeMMUCo) is a constituent college of Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), which is situated in Mwanza. The Latin name STELLA MARIS means “the star of the ocean.” Stella Maris is a fitting name for the institution, given STeMMUCo is situated around 200 to 300 meters from the Indian Ocean’s coasts.
Stella Maris Mtwara University College’s location
The Mtwara – Mikindani Municipality is home to Stella Maris Mtwara University College. The former serves as the Mtwara region’s core business district (CBD). The district is among others, such as Tandahimba, which is renowned for having the best cashew nut in the world, and Newala, which is renowned for its great cashew nuts too as it borders Tandahimba district. Masasi district is located at a junction leading to other regions and neigbouring countries, thus making it attractive to business activities.
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 close to STeMMUCo about 1 kilometer away, is located in there. There are health facilities that are found and are accessible to the inhabitant 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.
Moreover, Stella Maris Mtwara University college is close to most cellular phone companies, namely Vodacom, Airtel, TiGo, Halotel, TTCL. At the college all mobile phone companies are reachable and thus one would subscribe to a company of their choice.
Hence not only that Stella Maris Mtwara University College could easily be reached, but it is surrounded by all important facilities needed by a person in the era. 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.
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:
Bachelor of Arts with Education – BAED
Bachelor of Philosophy with Education – BPHILED
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology – BASO
Bachelor of Laws – LL.B
Bachelor of Philosophy with Political Science – BPHILOP
Bachelor of Business Administration – BBA
Bachelor of Science with Education –
Diploma in Business Administration
Diploma in Community Development
Diploma in Laws
Diploma in Accountancy
Diploma in Procurement and Supply Chain Management
Diploma in Librarianship and Records Management
Certificate in Business Administration
Certificate in Community Development
Certificate in Laws
Certificate in Procurement and Supply Chain Management
Certificate in Librarianship and Records Management
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
STeMMUCo and Youth’s Future
On a concluding note, we see that when one joins the 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 youth who will make Mtwara their home
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.