Tanzania: Tertiary Education Students to Get Training On Disaster Management

By Ludovick Kazoka

Dodoma — The Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) has embarked on a special programme to offer training on disaster management to tertiary institution students.

OSHA Ergonomic Hazards Inspector Venance Buliga told reporters yesterday that to start with

OSHA had offered capacity building training to University of Dodoma (Udom) students.

"This training targets students undertaking undergraduate studies in occupational safety and health," said OSHA Senior Officer, when briefing reporters on the just ended training programme at Udom.

Mr Buliga said OSHA had came up with the idea of training the students after the government introduced the industrial economy agenda, saying the main goal of such training was to make them knowledgeable about disaster management in the workplace.

For his part, Mr Paschal Cheka, one of the students, who received training, expressed gratitude to OSHA for introducing the training programme, saying it had been introduced at the right time for them as they were getting ready to join the job market.

He said the training programme, which involved practical and theory, imparted to their life skills and urged the government to heavily invest in disaster management equipment.

"The government should invest in preparing disaster management experts and disaster management equipment," said the student.

Mr Japheth Rongo, a Geography lecturer from Udom's Department of Geography appealed to the government to give priority to students taking disaster management courses in employment.

"We have been producing a good number of experts in disaster management at Udom since 2011. But the majority of graduates get employment in the private sector," said the Udom lecturer.

Mr Ringo noted that it was the right time for the government to consider recruiting them in the Disaster Management Department under the Prime Minister's Office to provide services during disasters