News & Comment
‘Sex for Grade’ A Shame of the Capitalist Education System

News:

On October 9, the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court at Dar es Salaam arraigned Samson Mahimbo (68) an assistant lecturer at the National Institute of Transport (NIT) in Dar es Salaam for allegedly demanding sex in order to give a female student good marks in her re-sit exam.

Comment:

The suspect was arrested last year by the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) after he fell for a sexual trap, and first arraigned on August 14, 2018.
The Court was told that Mahimbo was on January 2017 caught in a lodging facility preparing to engage in sexual intercourse with a second-year student who had failed her main exam in transport administrations in exchange for good marks, contrary to the anti-graft laws in Tanzania.

The issue of grades for sex is a common practice not only in local level but rampant internationally especial in higher education institutions, both by tutors threatening and forcing female students to give in to sexual demands in exchange for good grade, or sometimes students offering themselves choosing the easier way out.

Last year, a female lecturer of University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) the oldest and prominent University in Tanzania raised her voice by whistle blowing against the rampant culture of grades for sex. Also, BBC recent findings on a year-long undercover investigation on the same issue in the University of Lagos, Nigeria exposed a widespread and deep rooted culture of sexual harassment, which so far lead to suspension of a lecturer.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49971067

It is an unfortunate scenario that the capitalist education system has brought a number of mischiefs, instead of making education as a firm link between human to his Creator. A source to widen and developing a pure capacity of thinking and as a source of producing useful skills for welfare of humanity, it has turned into a shameful ground that breed a number of misfortunes.

Secular way of thinking has corrupted education in many ways such as considering it as a source of provision (rizq), a thing that made some students to be desperate in engaging in whatever means available to achieve a better grade. In the meantime, it makes tutors acting in arrogant manner, since they consider themselves having the keys of provision (rizq) for all students. Regarding female students who offer themselves or male students paying bribe for grades can be implied one of the two: the level they had achieved earlier from secondary school are weak, or the knowledge being given earlier cannot go in line with university level. Both issues expose failure of the capitalist system.

Under the capitalist ideas of ‘freedoms’, education institution has become a place of shame and immorality. How then we expect these institutions to produce a clean generation to serve our communities?

In order for education system to be clean, focused and productive, it needs to be built upon strong, clean, and just ideology which is Islam, under its state Khilafah Rashidah (rightly guided Caliphate) would be protected from all sort of corruptions.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Masoud Msellem
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Tanzania