Published by the government of Zimbabwe
27 April 2009
editorial
Harare — ON Wednesday Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Dr Stan Mudenge announced the appointment of a council for higher education that will be responsible for the registration and accreditation of universities in Zimbabwe.
It is common knowledge that this country possesses an educational infrastructure that is bettered by very few countries on the African continent.
However, a number of factors have over the past few years eroded this solid base and there is room for an improvement in standards virtually across the board.
As such, the creation of a Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education, that will be mandated to oversee the important aspect of quality assurance in university schooling, is a welcome development.
This should see, as the Higher Education Minister pointed out, an alignment of quality assurance systems with those obtaining in the Sadc region and beyond.
With the increased inter-connectedness of the global community, it becomes more and more imperative that certain standards -- such as those for education -- are harmonised.
This will make it easier for Zimbabwean graduates to assimilate into the global village.
More importantly, it will see Zimbabwe producing graduates with the capacity to integrate international standards into the local context and this can only be a boon for national development.
The need to guarantee quality in higher and tertiary education can never be over-emphasised and as such it is hoped that the newly-formed council will carry out its duties diligently.
The council should bear in mind that as it goes about its statutory obligations it is holding the future of Zimbabwe in its hands.
If one goes through the names on the people making up the council, no doubt is left in the mind that these are men and women of the highest capabilities with proven track records and commendable achievements to their individual and collective credit.
There is no reason why we should then not see an improvement in the quality of higher education being offered.
The council should be urged to ensure that any new institutions of higher and tertiary education meet set standards for the sake of the development of the nation.
Over the past few years, Zimbabwe has witnessed a burgeoning in the number of centres of education and quite frankly, doubts about the quality of schooling offered at some of these places are abundant.
It is consequently a matter of the utmost importance for the council to look into the operations of these institutions so as to ensure that they do not lower the high standards of education that Zimbabweans have come to expect and are known for since 1980.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
