The Vice Chancellor of Kampala International University in Tanzania (KIUT), Professor Jamidu Katima advised students to seriously participate in debates to help them build their confidence and improve their communications skills that can become very helpful throughout their studies and even in the labour market after graduating.
Prof. Katimagave the statement during his welcoming remarks to students from the University of Dar es Salaam Psychology Students Association (UDPSA) who came to KIUT for a debate competition with KIUT students on Saturday, 25th July 2020.
Furthermore, the Vice Chancellor encouraged the establishment of debate clubs in order to sustain the debating activities. This will help students to build convincing arguments, ideas and skills that are of paramount importance to everyone, irrespective of career paths taken.
The debate motion was “Does Academic Excellence Predict Job Performance?” The hosts, KIUT Students were the proposers/supporters, while UDPSA students were the opposers. Each side consisted of four main speakers and four floor speakers.
KIUT’s main speakers were David Duncan, Atupele Fadhila, Said Abdallah and Merina Simau. The floor speakers were Fahad Shams, Husna Mataso, Elivinus Chacha and Baziri Juma. UDPSA’s speakers were Gilbert Paul, Nassoro Twaha, Chiku Salam, Shaban Miraji. The floor speakers were Albert Nyoni, Priscilla Minde, Kiondo Faithness and Suitbert Anjelimus.
Overseeing the event, the debate had a moderator (Justus August) from Aga Khan Hospital (AKH), two judges, one from KIUT (Dr. Masandika) and the other from UDPSA (Gabriel Hoza), a secretary (Issa Hamis) and timekeeper (Corey Sadala).
The debate was incredibly competitive and insightful as speakers from both sides gave strong arguments and counterarguments, with backups from floorspeakers from both sides.
After all main and floor speakers gave their arguments, the judges deliberated and delivered their verdict on the overall winner, best debate performers amongst the students and knowledge contribution to the academic fraternity.
UDPSA emerged the winners, scoring 73% with KIUT scoring 67%, a small margin, showing great competitive efforts from both sides in supporting and opposing the motion. The best performers came from the opposing side (UDPSA), Suitbert Anjelimus (85%) and proposing side (KIUT), David Duncan (80%).
Conclusion on knowledge contribution to the academic community was that academic excellence alone is not enough to guarantee job performance, but a combination of other behavioural and non-behavioural attributes. Therefore, the judges and moderator separately urged students to indeed pursue academic excellence, but also develop other social skills and talents to enhance job performance when they enter the labour market after school and further informed them that the labour market also includes entrepreneurs who need multiple skills, combined with academic excellence to run a business.
The UDPSA team patron expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the warm welcome and intellectual exchange, welcoming plans of exploring other areas of cooperation to further cement the relationship of the two universities. Upon their arrival, the students and the patron were given a tour around KIUT campus, before entering the debate hall.
The University of Dar es Salaam Students Association (UDPSA) is a non-partisan, and non-religious students organization located in the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) main campus with the aim of exposing students to career, competencies, values, and related ethics of psychology through training, workshops, projects, study tours, events and research to mention a few.
