QUESTION No. 1

What is a development study? With examples from Tanzania discuss why it is important for university students to be taught Development studies?



    1. Introduction

Development; is the process in which someone or something grows changes and becomes more advanced, (Cambridge dictionary,2005). This can be explained as a something/someone changes from initial condition up to another condition which is more good. Someone/something move from lower levels to higher levels.

According to www.sociologydiscuss, development means “improvement in country’s economic and social condition”. More especially, it refers to improvements in way of managing an area’s natural and human resource in order to create wealth and improve people’s live.

    1. Development Studies

Is a multi and interdisciplinary field of study rather than a single discipline, it seeks to understand the inter play between social, economy, political, culture and gender aspects of societal change at the local, national, regional and global level (Andrew summer, November, 2006). It is development studies tend to be flexible because fit into another fields of studies for example demographic issues, industrialization and economic analysts.

Also, development studies, refers to a broad range of courses that address the planning, implementation and consequences of social, political and economic change among people of the Third World Countries. Development studies examines on the states and people of the South and reviews nations of economic viability, democracy, governance, human rights or environmental sustainability as they apply to such culturally divergent entities in the last two decades there has been an explosion in the numbers of non-government organizations (NGOs) or voluntary organisation (VDs) also concentrating on development. (https://programandcourses.com),so development studies focused much in the Third World Countries like Africa, Asia, Pacific and Latin America aimed to improve the life Third World majority.

With example from Tanzania, it is so important for university students to be taught development studies, the importances of development studies is classified into social, political and economic importance of development studies, by starting with social importances are the following:-

  1. Social importances

To equip students with systematic knowledge and understanding of debates and issues of gender and development at global, national and local levels (https://programandcourse.com). Through knowledge that students get in this studies become aware on the gender issues forexample female gentle mutilation practices in the society foristance in Mwanza regions.

Enable students to be aware off on the current issues facts and development, (http://answers.wikia.com). The society is faced with different issues like violation of human rights foristance in different regions like Mbeya and Arusha. But also, motivation towards industrial development (TANZANIA YA VIWANDA), hence make students to be active or to want country need towards development.

Enables students to learn widely about the concepts and theories of development in developing countries (http://answers.wikia.com). Provide knowledge how developed countries attain development like Western countries foristance German, USA and UK and why developing countries like Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi and why there is development between Western Countries. According to Walter Rodney all the societies were the same during 15th Country, but due to factors like slave trade, colonialism, unequal trade led to underdevelopment in Africa continent.

Devise and conduct research as well as disseminate research and write critically about these issues of development (https://programandcourse.anu.developmentstudiesmajor). It is means that, through scholars who learn more about development studies, some of them conduct research and separate it to the societies by different means may be in journal, television and radio, whereby their research focused much about development issues.

    1. Political importances

It enable students to under kind the importance of separation of power to the country and how related to economic development, (https://programandcourseanu.com). Students learn more about state and development as a dependent course. So, in government there is different separation of power forexample; executive, legislature and judiciary but also how every branch perform its work in Tanzania.

Encourage university students to knows the challenges and the ways on how government engage on broadcasting development of their country, (https://answers.wikia.com). In attaining development is different challenges forexample in Tanzania different media broadcasted the tactics of other government with employed labourers who have not qualified and somehow succeeded to remove them but also there is Tanzania broadcasting corporation (TBC) operate different issues concern with development by practically.

It enable student to understand political rights forexample right to vote and to be voted, (https://answers.wikia.com). In development studies course like human rights and development we learn much about rights. So make university students in Tanzania to know their rights in different aspects like political rights, foristance article no. 7 which say “All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.

Help students to be aware about constitution as the axis of the country, (https://programandcourse.com) constitution lead the country, make the limits of citizens on how decided to live in Tanzania so as to escape violation against constitution but also constitution explain leadership structure and it work in a country.

    1. Economic importances

To provide students with necessary knowledge and skills to engage with development problem and issues (https://answers.wikia.com). There is a different course in development studies program foristance entrepreneurship and Youth-self-employment students gain knowledge about how you can start your self-entrepreneurship so as to achieve development as we faced with problem of poverty in Tanzania.

Help students to ensure sustainable use of resources (https://programandcourses.com), through course like poverty reduction strategies awake students to make effective and efficiently use of resources so as to reduce poverty so as to prepare economic and social status. Also, resources like land, forest and water how you can use them without discouraging the environment so as to protect present and future generation.

Help students after graduate to be employed in different careers (www.wikipedia.com), students who tough this field/studies will be able to engage in different professional careers forexample, Tanzania government employ community development officers, project planners, government consultant and emigration officers.

Help students to understand the contribution of industrialization to the economy of Tanzania as government promote it (www.wikipedia.com), through different government policies show the importance of industrialization in our country as the fast means for the growth of our economy. Forexample governments promote and establish different industries like sugar processing industries in Kagera, textile industries in Dar es Salaam.

  1. Conclusion

We learn much about development studies and we are gain more understanding about it, so we are able to know importances of it economically, politically and socially, but we are facing with different challenges which make our knowledge to remain in theoretically and not practically. Problems facing us are like financial problems, infrastructures problems, climatic problems like shortage of rainfall, cultural problems like forced marriage, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Widow Inheritance. So, in order to university students in Tanzania who taught development studies to be beneficiaries of it, governmentmust try to take different measures, foristance provide capital to the graduates of it, improve infrastructures, make different policies which are applicable and suitable and to fight with bad cultural practices.
 

REFERENCES

Cambridge Dictionary Published in 2005

Andrew Summer (November, 2006). Development in Practice. Published by Taylor and Francis Limited on behalf of Oxfam GB