80 Apply for Project Tanganyika, Seek Teaching Positions in Africa

Eighty Harvard and Radcliffe students have applied to teach English in Africa next year with PBH's Project Tanganyika. Of these, about 40 hope to work during the summer and some 25 more are seeking to remain in Tanganyika for the whole school year.

Robert W. Bennett '62, the leader of next year's project, said at least 16 of the applicants would win final acceptance, about ten for the year and the remainder for the summer.

In addition to teaching much-needed English courses in Dar es Salaam and other major cities in Tanganyika, the Project hopes to place volunteer workers in hospitals, dispensaries, or public health programs across the country. Bennett said there might also be famine relief work such as two project members did during the summer of 1961.

Seven members of last summer's project are presently teaching in the East African country and another, David R. Ebel '62, is working as a civil servant for the Treasury Department of the Tanganyika Government, Bennett, who stayed to manage the relief program after the project's first summer in 1961 and ended up in charge of a camp for Batusi refugees from Ruanda, praised the freedom that the project offers its members. He also cited several students who have remained in Africa on their own.

All applicants for the project have two interviews with PBH officials and previous Project members. PBH hopes to announce final acceptances in early December.

The largest number of applicants this year came from the sophomore class, while the other classes provided relatively equal numbers. Radcliffe provided slightly more than a third of the candidates, a considerably larger percentage than last year. Three graduate students applied as well.

Bennett emphasized that an extensive orientation program will be carried out during the year for all members of the project. Extra reading on Africa will be assigned and the project hopes to establish seminars on Tanganyika and related topics.

The greatest concentration of effort will be devoted to learning Swahill during the second semester. Calling Swahill lessons the key to the orientation program, Bennett pointed out that a reasonable mastery of the language was especially crucial for those students just going for the summer. Past experience has shown that only after a month or more in the country has the students' language ability improved enough to be fully effective in teaching.

Project leaders reported that, as in the past, the Swahill classes will definitely not be offered for course credit by the University.