Workforce
Solutions
with
Anthony Jongwe
I begin this instalment by extending my heartfelt condolences to the Chakaodza family following the death of Bornwell Chakaodza on Tuesday last week.
Bornwell Chakaodza was a ‘brother' to me in the sense that although we worked together under this stable as columnists, he was an elder to me both in terms of age and experience in media work. While some of us became columnists not because we went to media training school, the late Chakaodza was a seasoned media practitioner who approached his work as a calling. That he was passionate about writing is beyond doubt since we are told that he penned his last instalment for this paper whilst he was in hospital. I was a regular follower of his "National Agenda" column and was greatly inspired by its incisive analysis of topical and often "hot" issues. Zimbabwe has definitely lost a veteran media practitioner who was committed to his vocation and impacted positively on so many people through his work. I say: Go well Bornwell Chakaodza. You fought the good fight, you finished the race, and you kept the faith in the media industry (adapted from 2 Timothy 4:7) and MYDSRIP.
In last week's instalment, I stated that globally there is renewed focus on the need for quality outcomes in the delivery of education at all levels and averred that Zimbabwe has embraced this policy thrust through, for instance, the creation of the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE). Subsequent to this, ZIMCHE flighted some infomercials in the print media where it sought to correct recent misperceptions created in the media on its mandate in the area of quality assurance in higher education. While not mentioning anyone in its infomercials, it is common cause that the ZIMCHE had come under onslaught in a column of one of the weekly papers. For the benefit of the reader, ZIMCHE had come under attack following its decision to suspend a number of degree programmes offered by local and external institutions.
In the course of 2011, two state universities namely the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) and National University of Science and Technology (NUST) had some of their degree programmes suspended by ZIMCHE for failing to meet its quality assurance standards. ZOU had its Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Counselling suspended including a Diploma in Education while NUST had its two PhD programmes (one in Business Administration and another in African Leadership) also suspended. While NUST did not contest the decision by ZIMCHE to suspend its programmes pending compliance with regulatory requirements, ZOU seems to have chosen an antagonistic route to ZIMCHE's decision as evidenced by its advertisements in the media encouraging its students registered under the suspended programmes to continue with their studies. The decision by ZOU seems to have been further abetted by the arguments proffered by a columnist in one of the weekly papers which seemed to impute that ZIMCHE's quality assurance crusade was driven by other ulterior motives. What makes the whole saga intriguing is the apparent conflict of interest defining ZOU's response since its Vice Chancellor is a member of the current ZIMCHE Council which endorsed the decision to suspend the degree programmes.
On the other hand, ZIMCHE applauded the decision by NUST to follow the directive to suspend its PhD programmes pending the institution of corrective action. In fact, NUST is probably one of a few state universities who have had to deal with quality assurance issues in a row. The first instance for NUST was when its medical degree was suspended owing to lack of requisite faculty to lead the programme. It is remarkable that NUST has turned the corner in achieving regulatory approval for its suspended degree programmes to resume. In that context, NUST will be able to relaunch its medical degree making it the second institution after the University of Zimbabwe's College of Health Sciences to offer medical training in the country. Significantly, NUST has also been given the green light to offer its doctoral programmes in business administration and African leadership. These programmes position NUST to play a critical role in the training of higher-level manpower for academia, consultancy and industry and commerce for Zimbabwe and the region. By endorsing these programmes, ZIMCHE is affirming to the very high quality standards renowned for Zimbabwean education and will serve as a recruitment point for foreign students who may wish to enrol for higher degrees in Zimbabwe.
ZIMCHE is a statutory body created through Chapter 25:27 of 2006 with the mandate to register and accredit institutions of higher education in Zimbabwe. As regulator, ZIMCHE determines and maintains standards of teaching, examinations, academic qualifications and research in institutions of higher education. These are critical areas which invariably impinge on quality outcomes in higher education. Thus, quality assurance is a critical function of ZIMCHE and entails the regular and objective evaluation of courses, programmes and degrees offered by higher education institutions. Consistent with this thinking, ZIMCHE is therefore responsible for recommending institutional quality assurance standards to the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education. It was precisely in the context of enforcing this mandate that ZIMCHE closed institutions and suspended degree programmes including the ones alluded to in the foregoing.
ZIMCHE is not a unique institution in the discourse of quality higher education. Prior to its establishment in 2006, there was the National Council for Higher Education which had an almost similar mandate. In the region, South Africa has the Council on Higher Education (CHE) which like ZIMCHE is an independent statutory body which is responsible for advising that country's Minister of Higher Education and Training on all higher education policy issues, and for quality assurance in higher education and training. In Ghana, they have the National Accreditation Board which performs a similar regulatory role as ZIMCHE while Malaysia and the United Kingdom, both have the Malaysia Qualifications Agency and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education respectively all with the same function as that of ZIMCHE. These disparate examples serve to denote that the quality assurance debate in higher education is neither a "Western idea" nor an "Eastern idea" but a global policy imperative in view of the critical role played by higher education in poverty alleviation and economic development.
A World Bank Working Paper Series Number 102 of 2006 entitled "Higher Education and Development in Africa" analysed the relationship between higher education and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa and established that "expanding tertiary education may promote faster technological catch-up and improve a country's ability to maximise its economic output". This is a departure from conventional wisdom which discounted the rate of return on higher education in relation to primary education. In its analysis of the state of Higher Education and the Law, the research noted that prevailing legislation in higher education in most African countries "hampers efforts to increase higher education enrolment and improve teaching quality". This lack of policy centralization in the form of regulatory bodies allows, the study notes, "fly-by-night private operations to fleece students or provide them a low-quality education at high cost, a minimal return on their investment" This is precisely what ZIMCHE seeks to curtail and it is something which should engender goodwill from key stakeholders.
- Anthony Jongwe is studying for a Doctoral Degree in Business Administration (DBA) with NUST and is Principal Consultant at Global Workforce Solutions (Pvt) Ltd. For feedback, e-mail
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or cell 0776 375 637.
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form