Sebastian Kolowa University College

Message from Provost,

It’s a true pleasure for me to welcome you to Sebastian Kolowa University College (SEKUCo) of Tumaini University. SEKUCo has been founded by the North Eastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. The doors at SEKUCo were opened for the first batch of students on 28th October 2007. SEKUCo is one of the youngest constituent university colleges within the Tumaini University family.

For the academic year 2007/08 we have started with the programme of Bachelor of Special Needs Education. In the future we will be adding programmes in the fields of Law, Nature Conservation & Eco-tourism, Business Administration, Civil Engineering, Mental Health & Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Communication Skills.

At SEKUCo we intend to:

1. run programmes which focus directly on producing graduates who will work with and for people with disabilities;
2. mainstream in all programmes issues about the needs, rights and abilities of people who have physical, sensory, intellectual and/or behavioural barriers; and
3. create a conducive study environment for applicants with disabilities who qualify to join university studies.

Why have we chosen to put focus on disability issues?
In a remote village in Tanga region lives a young man who was born mentally disabled. Several years ago, he was attacked by people who assaulted him sexually and hurt him severely. The outcome of that assault was that the muscles of his rectum were affected and therefore faeces come out of him uncontrollably. Hitherto, no one has been put responsible for this crime and chances are that the perpetrators will never be brought to justice for what they did. Meanwhile, the young disabled man remains a target of ridicule and shame.

The philosophy of SEKUCo is to combine knowledge of mind and commitment of heart in offering education so that students graduating from SEKUCo should put people such as the young disabled man high on their priority lists as they serve the Tanzanian society. Our aim is to offer high quality education for all who qualify to join university studies and produce graduates who will faithfully serve all people, with disadvantaged groups in their focus.The integration of the perspective “from below” will therefore continue to be a cross-cutting concept in all programmes at SEKUCo. Policy Makers, Educators, Administrators, Lawyers, Scientists and Entrepreneurs who have their minds and hearts at the right places are needed in the whole society of Tanzania.  In particular, they are needed if those who constitute the lowest stratum in the social pyramid are ever to be liberated from the yokes of oppression, degradation, humiliation and stigmatization that they often endure silently and unnoticed.

SEKUCo will train people who will become experts in their respective fields.  For that to be possible, those who graduate from the University College will be equipped with adequate practical experience in addition to the theoretical knowledge.

Welcome to Sebastian Kolowa University College of Tumain University!
Rev. Dr. Anneth Munga
Provost