Zimpapers Logo

Christopher Farai Charamba Correspondent
African author Chinua Achebe once wrote that, “Writers do not give prescriptions. They give headaches.” This quote is taken from my favourite of his works, “Anthills of the Savannah”.

In the scene, the speaker, Ikem Osodi, a former newspaper editor, is addressing a gathering of students at the local university on the social and political issues in the fictional state of Kangan and he admonishes them for their gross mediocrity.

Achebe was certainly a prolific writer and one who understood the environment and reality of his country of origin — Nigeria — as well as other African states.

Referring back to the passage from Anthills of the Savannah, one can state the same of Zimbabwean universities and students.

There is an unfortunate culture of mediocrity at our higher learning institutions.

When was the last time there was any ground breaking or revolutionary research from a Zimbabwean higher learning institution?

What known innovative ideas have come out of universities in the last 10 years?

Universities are there to foster innovative thinking, encourage enterprising dialogue and spur research ideas and initiatives to the challenges faced by people within a particular nation.

The best and brightest minds are supposed to gather at universities and influence national conversation and ideas.

The beauty of universities lies in the fact that there are a melting pot of young minds from various backgrounds, given the platform to explore their thinking.

Many of our older members of society always bemoan the fact that youth is wasted on the young.

Universities are institutions that should take advantage of this youth.

Sadly this has not been the case in Zimbabwe. There is a lack of public lectures and panel discussions on social, economic and political issues. There is a lack of driving in research making differences in communities and society.

What I refer to as a culture of mediocrity at local institutions stem from the fact that students attend class just to pass and get a degree.

Most do not learn to contribute and better their field but to pass their exam at the end of the academic year and graduate.

Curriculums too seem to be geared on a Western model of study that resultantly manufactures a stock breed of students who are then unleashed into the job market with the same CVs and same ideas.

Perhaps I am naïve and out of touch with reality. Zimbabwe is going through tough economic challenges which have hampered all sectors of life in the country. Universities, like most industries, must be suffering from these effects.

But for me that should not be a good enough, the tough economic conditions should spur research and innovative thinking. Universities should be the ones coming up with solutions to the problems faced.

Some 600 years ago, in the 15th Century, doctors at universities in Timbuktu in present day Mali, were performing eye surgery, removing cataracts. Africa has a history of innovative approaches, some done independently and others through research institutions.

Why our universities should be at the forefront of innovation and research is because they are best poised to do so. Not only that but Zimbabwe has 14 universities and this should allow a diverse array of research, science and technology, health, agriculture, information technology, the list is endless.

All hope is certainly not lost for our universities and our students. Solutions are closer than the horizon and all it takes is will to attain them.

Harvard educated lawyer and scholar Alan Dershowitz once said, “Great research universities must insist on independence from government and on the exercise of academic freedom.” He was both right and wrong.

Zimbabwean institutions require the right to exercise academic freedom and should do so independent of direct government control but should work in partnership with government.

As government embarks on its plans to resuscitate the Zimbabwean economy, research institutions should be leading the conversation on the best ways to do so.

Another solution that will kill mediocrity in our institutions is for students to form clubs and societies that encourage independent thinking and work towards innovative ideas. The unfortunate thing is that most youth organisations seem to be focused on entertainment and popularity rather than creating something meaningful.

An attitude change is necessary among students to enable them to aspire to greatness. Many multibillion dollar ideas such as Facebook and Microsoft were formed in university corridors and through student engagement. Where are our multibillion projects?

Finally, for there to be overall success, the business community needs to be actively involved in the lives of universities. Offering scholarships and bursaries, although commendable, is not enough for the lives of universities.

Businesses should not only sponsor research and offer grants but also give incentives to students in the form of competitions and seminars. Business people should be an inspiration to students at universities and challenge them to strive for excellence.

In that favourite Achebe novel, he says, “Dialogues are infinitely more interesting than monologues.” I do not have have all the knowledge or solutions on the matter but it is certainly necessary to open dialogue and give a few headaches while we wait for our institutions to give the prescriptions.