Last Updated on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 by HEET Website Team
Personal information
Full name: Athumani Juma Mgaya
Gender: Male
Contacts: athman.mgaya@sua.ac.tz , 2023000124@ufs4life.ac.za OR amgaya640@gmail.com
+255713940301/ +27813377489
Biography
I Athumani Juma Mgaya, I have been always passionate about academic pursuits, thus made me work hard on it. I discovered that I have a natural aptitude for intellectual progress through my studies. He is believing on the philosophy of working hard for everything you have passion on.
Professionally a teacher with 12 years working experience as a secondary school teacher plus 5 years teaching at the university where currently working at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), specifically in the field of psychology.
Apart from working experience, I like bicycle riding from which in the year 2020, I joined the bicycle riding club called Uluguru cycling club (UCC) as part of my extracurricular activities. In my free also conduct counselling sessions to youths as part of my professional based extracurricular activities.
Academic Background
Currently a PhD in Psychology student under the umbrella of HEET project. I am holding a Master of Arts in Applied Social Psychology (MAASP), from the University of Dar es Salaam, Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) in science education from the Open University of Tanzania, I also have Diploma in Education from Klerruu Teachers College. Currently I am an Assistant Lecturer in Educational psychology, Guidance, Counselling and special needs education, Childhood development and learning, and other related courses offered under School of Education at the Department of Educational psychology and counselling, Sokoine University of Agriculture.
Besides teaching, I have been doing outreach activities in community counselling to youths as part of psychotherapy to help adolescents reduce risky and behavioural problems. As part of my practical services, I have been conducting these programmes in various secondary school students.
As a researcher I also conducting research in areas of psychology specifically in positive youth development, self-identity in emerging adults, sexuality and sexual behaviours in adolescents, childhood development, social psychology, and inclusive education that covers the area of my research interest.
HEET Project Scholarship
It is my pleasure to be one of the 2022 HEET scholarship beneficiaries offered by SUA HEET project that enabled me to pursue my PhD studies. Therefore, I feel honoured to be among PhD students who are scholarship recipients under this project. This scholarship makes me proud of studying at one of the reputable Universities in Africa, University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa. I am optimistically that, the scholarship will have an impact on my career and my future.
Through HEET project scholarship, I am now studying in an academically healthy environment which I work with one of the giant experts in Africa and the world in my field, psychology. Many thanks go to HEET project on which without it I couldn’t be able to.
Plan for Future
Ambitiously, my plan and focus on my area of expertise is to both students and the community at large. This can be achieved through teaching, consultation, and research as an academic but also as a researcher in the field of psychology.
Parallel to that, my focus is to produce competent graduates who can compete in the labour market. This is by imparting knowledge that fits into world’s cultural flexibilities in the field so that the societal problems and instabilities can be settled.
Giving credit and expressing gratitude
My sincere gratitude goes to United Republic of Tanzania (URT), my government by securing a loan from World Bank that helped me and my fellow Tanzanians to get study opportunities. The government of Tanzania through SUA HEET project is something to be proud of as it promotes and enhance the future of Tanzanians via knowledge-based investment for brighter future economy.
Secondly, the World Bank for accepting the request, and disburse funds to the Tanzania Government through The ministry of Education Science and Technology (MoEST). Thirdly my appreciation and gratitude go to my employer Sokoine University of Agriculture, under SUA HEET project for granting such an opportunity to fulfill my career, I feel privileged.