Directorate of student services
The Directorate of Students Services (DSS) previously called Dean of Students Office is one of the Directorates in the MUHAS organogram established for the aim of providing social welfare services to students pursing different academic programmes at MUHAS.
Mission:To serve students, Staff, the entire MUHAS community, stockholders and deliver essential services to these groups.
Vision: Provide quality services, leadership and accountability, and perform in a manner warranting the highest level of public confidence to students, staff and the MUHAS community as a whole.
Core value:Excellence, teamwork, and innovation; open and continuous communications; diversity, integrity, and humor; a helpful, courteous, and positive attitude; personal and professional growth; pride in our work;leading by example toward respect for our fellow staff and students and the entire MUHAS community.
Student Information
ELIGIBILITY FOR SERVICES:
ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE: All students currently enrolled at MUHAS, are eligible to receive counseling services that is available from 8.00 am – 5.00pm Monday – Friday; but in case of emergence you can use
HELP LINES 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
APPOINTMENTS: Appointments can be made by contacting a Counselor, but our intention is to help students as soon as the problem arises/ as soon as they need help. The unit is committed to seeing/ helping students as quickly as possible.
- WALK IN CLIENTS ARE WARMLY WELCOME AT ANY TIME
BESIDES GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING, PROPOSED DEPARTMENT WILL ALSO ALSO HANDLE THE FOLLOWING:
Handling Students With Disability/ Special Needs:
- Identify them
- Solicit funds to support them
- Providing moral support
HANDLING MENTORING PROGRAMME:
- Enforce schools to allocate mentors
- Distributing mentoring interview guide, discussion Guide and mentors and mentees forms
- Collecting mentoring forms for evaluation.
HANDLING CONFLICTS AMONG STUDENTS
- When conflicts arise, the Unit used to sort out the raised conflict, Conflict resolutions seminar are regularly organized too.
UNDERMENTIONED ARE THE GUIDELINES FOR THE OFFICE:
PROGRAMMS: –
The Guidance and Counseling Unit believeth that creating happiness for others is the tool for healthy and strong community. Each individual is advised to have commitment on these programs. Since the office deals with the social-economic issues, general activities are condensed into the following main programs;
1) Guidance and counseling (socially, academically, spiritually, health)
2) Mentor and Mentee relationship.
3) Clubs, Professional Association groups and Religious groups
4) Needy and physical challenged students (needy and students with disabilities- special needs students)
5) Sensitization seminars for example TCRA, Reproductive and relationship challenges, special talk to female’s student, IT/ ICT issues, leadership seminars, PCCB seminars, Mental health seminars, Gender issues seminar, alcohol and drugs abuse seminars etc. (huwa tunasoma alalama za nyakati).
SPECIFIC GUIDELINES THROUGH WHICH EVERY PROGRAM SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN;
- Guidance and Counseling:
- Receiving, listening and guide them according to the personal or group challenge or issue addressed.
- Where necessary to look after them (this is due to poor awareness and fear) this should be done through confidential interactions in observing and questioning.
- For further balancing in reducing fear and rising confidence, group counselling and seminars will be applied as general or according to sex and needs. NB: Develop electronic data recording, in keeping their visit schedules which will help the office to figure out their progress.
- MENTOR AND MENTEES RELATIONSHIP
- The Guidance and Counseling Unit have the updated mentor and mentee list of each school and specific academic year, this is used in reminding them and informing them in case of any changes.
- The Guidance and Counseling Unit reminds mentee and mentors to meet at least three times per semester and not only in the moment of need/problem so that to have a good flow of relationship.
- The Guidance and Counselling Unit should ensure mentors form (checkup-form) (at the beginning of each semester); this will be helpful in getting feedback and developing reports.
- Mentor are advised to help their mentee up to their level best, in case of a serious matter that cannot be handled down by mentor, the guidance and counselling unit under the dean of student’s office will be a referral for further help
- Remind mentor & mentee to meet regularly,
- The administration/coordination to allocate them early (soon after orientation)
- The guidance and counselling unit will update mentor and mentee communication, it can be through their specific school notes boards, social Medias and ICT.
- CLUBS, PROFFESIONAL/ACADEMIC ASSOCIATIONS AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS
- The Guidance and Counselling Unit should identify them, confirm their registration, collect their action plans (planned activities), identify and updates their leaders and mentors with their contacts, receive reports quarterly and annual, minutes for appointed signatories for operational banks accounts, and constitution.
- Furthermore, the Guidance and Counselling Unit should be reminding that, all events planned to be conducted by Clubs, Religious groups or Professional Associations, the information for the same should reach the DVC- PFA via Director of Students office two weeks before the event with the attached CV of the guest of Honor, this should apply to all events that will take place in both hostels Chole and Muhimbili.*Note updated list of Academic associations, religious groups and clubs is annually done
- SPECIAL NEEDS AND PHYSICAL CHALLENGED STUDENTS (NEEDY AND STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES)
- MUHAS like any other community or academic institution is buildup of various groups of people with different status and conditions. Among them are needy students and physically challenged students (Special Needs Students).
- On the one hand, needy students are those students with financial challenges to meet their daily basic needs. For example, students who come from poor families and who have not been allocated loan fail to pay for accommodation or buy meals. Some of these students were not allocated loans because they went through private schools as their school fees were paid by NGOs, TASAF, religious groups until they completed secondary education or some other reasons that make be rejected by the system of the loan board during allocation process.
- Another group is physical challenged students. These are students who have problems with their bodythat makes difficult for them to do things that other people can normally do, or is a limitation on a person’s physical functioning, mobility, deftness or stamina. Inclusively these two groups are called special needs students means are those students who need special attention.
- Physical disabilitiesinclude impairments which limit other aspect of daily living, such as respiratory disorders/ asthma, visual / blindness or poor vision, epilepsy, sleeping disorders, poor hearing, skin disorders (albinism) and other many.
- Since 2014, the MUHAS through the office of by then Dean of Students now days Directorate of students Services has developed a plan to support needy and physically challenged students (Special needs students) so that they may also well run their academic, social and financial life during their stay at the University.
***DO NOT STAY WITH YOUR CHALLENGES CALL OR VISIT GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING DEPARTMENT ***
Residence and Housing
Muhimbili Hostel
The university have 5 hostel main halls at the main campus located at Upanga Dar -es Salaam and Kalenga Guest House.
Chole Road Hostel
MUHAS Chole Hostels is located in Oyster Bay, Dar es Salaam Region
About Directorate of Student Services
For effective and efficient provision of Students welfare services, the DSS has three Departments namely:
- Administration and Students Governance
- Guidance and Counseling
- Students services Bureau
- Enhancing communication between the students and the University decision making organs.
- Enforcing and reviews Students By-Laws
- Enforcing and reviewing Welfare policy
- Resolving conflicts that arise between individual students or between antagonistic groups of students.
- Promoting and providing Guidance and Counseling services to MUHAS Students and Staff,
- Identifying and soliciting support to Students with special needs
- Coordinating mentorship program
- Managing accommodation services,
- Facilitating maintenance of University Hostels
- Facilitating availability of health insurances services,
- Overseeing delivery of quality Cafeteria services in the University Hostels,
- Advocating for creation of a conducive environment for students’ participation in Games and Sports in order to attain good physical and mental health.
Our Services
Consultation
- Psychiatric cases consultations are also made by the Counseling unit to psychologists at the psychiatric Ward/ Department at MNH
- Legal cases/ legal aid consultations are also made at legal unit/ to consult MUHAS legal officer/counsel
- Religious Concerns: wholistic guidance and counseling is considered by the unit.
Counselling
Offered to students who need helps with time management. What to read, how and when.
- Academic Caunselling
- Personal Counseling
- Group Counseling
- Crisis intervation
MOTTO:Healthier Mind – healthier Body
Mentoring
Enforce schools to allocate mentors then;
- Distributing mentoring interview guide, discussion Guide and mentors and mentees forms
- Collecting mentoring forms for evaluation.
Special Needs
Handling Students With Disability/ Special Needs:
- Identify them
- Solicit funds to support them
- Providing moral support
Student Accomodation
MUHAS offer the first choice residential facility that provides excellent quality products for the well-being and the delight of students. It is believed that residence life experience will foster the student holistic development as well as being fully supportive of their academic program. Student residence life at MUHAS strives to ensure that a living and learning environment is the foundation of its residence culture. Accommodation is availed to duly registered students with preference to regular Clinical undergraduate students in session