Stakeholders’ Perception of the University of Dar es Salaam’s Administrative and Communicative Competence in Managing Students’ Crises

Abstract

This study examined the stakeholders’ perception of the University of Dar es Salaam’s
senior management capability in managing students’ crises. We purposively selected
two governmental agencies—the Higher Education Students’ Loan Board (HESLB) and
the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU)—and the Ministry of Education and
Vocational Training (MoEVT), two political parties, eight students and eight students’
organisation leaders. This study was informed by Littlejohn’s (2002) Compliance
Gaining Theory, which suggests that using strategies such as reward, punishment, both
positive and negative can enable the university administration to gain the compliance of
the students. This study found that the university’s management neither actively
involved academic staff nor students in the management of students’ disturbances. As a
result, the university ended up being perceived rather negatively even for problems
occasioned by external forces over which it technically has no absolute control. Thus, the
University should have an effective internal and external communication strategy to
ensure that it remains in good books, and is perceived positively even during students’
crises, which in themselves should not be treated negatively.