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GZU Chancellor President Mugabe caps the university’s Acting Director
of Information Mr Anderson Chipatiso, who graduated with a Masters of
Commerce in Marketing Management, while GZU Vice Chancellor Professor
Rungano Zvobgo(left) and Primary and Secondary Education Minister
Lazarus Dokora(right) look on at the Great Zimbabwe University in
Masvingo yesterday.

George Maponga in MASVINGO
PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday conferred degrees and certificates to 1 883 graduates at a colourful ceremony at Great Zimbabwe University, the institution’s ninth such ceremony.

The graduates were drawn from the faculties of Arts, Social Sciences, Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Commerce, Education and Culture and Heritage Studies.

About 85 percent of the graduates were awarded undergraduate degrees, with the remainder getting Masters degrees.

There was near parity in gender representation as almost half of the graduates were female, while at post graduate level females constituted about 38 percent of those who graduated.

The graduation ceremony saw President Mugabe capping the first crop of GZU students who were awarded undergraduate degrees in Archaeology, Museums and Heritage Studies, Office Management, Internal Auditing and Transport and Logistics.

In his address, GZU Vice Chancellor Professor Rungano Jonas Zvobgo said the university continued to grow and expand despite the prevailing harsh economic environment.

Prof Zvobgo noted that a dearth in Government funding was not stopping his institution from becoming a university of choice in Zimbabwe, adding that various infrastructural projects were carried out at the institution through devising innovative ways of raising capital.

“The university now has a student booming enrolment of 13 400, a 37 percent increase from the 9 810 in the previous year and a historic 136,2 percent increase from the 5 675 enrolment in 2013,’’ he said.

“We will soon surpass the 18 000 student enrolment figure that we had set in our Strategic Plan 2014-2018 as a target to be achieved by 2018. Our growth has put to shame those who predicted the fall of higher education in this country and those who habitually complain that Government has no money to advance the cause of higher education in Zimbabwe today.”

Prof Zvobgo revealed that his institution had embarked on several income generating projects, among them setting up of a brick-moulding plant that produces about 140 000 bricks per month for the university’s construction projects and sale to staff.

The university also operated a farm which was now producing its entire cafeteria needs.

Professor Zvobgo also said staff development was also under way to improve the quality of teaching standards 43 of the institution’s staff having attained PhDs while 131 others have enrolled locally, regionally and internationally for their doctoral studies. By 2018, added Professor Zvobgo, the entire GZU teaching staff would have acquired PhDs.

The GZU Vice Chancellor hailed President Mugabe for creating a stand-alone Ministry of Rural Development, Preservation and Promotion of Culture, and Heritage pointing out that his university was prepared to offer consultancy for the new ministry’s programmes.

As part of fulfilling its niche of promoting arts, culture and heritage studies, Professor Zvobgo said, GZU has named its schools after departed luminaries and national heroes who played a key role in shaping Zimbabwe to what it is today.

In that line, GZU now has the Gary Magadzire School of Agriculture and Natural Sciences named after long serving Zimbabwe Farmers Union president and national hero Cde Gary Magadzire.

The School of Arts and Humanities is now known as the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo School of Arts and Humanities after the late former Vice President, while the School of Culture and Heritage was named after the late Vice President Muzenda.

The School of Commerce was named after the ancient imperious state of Munhumutapa, while founding father of modern Tanzania Julius Nyerere’s name was given to the School of Social Sciences.

The GZU Graduate School of Business was named after former finance minister and national hero Dr Bernard Chidzero, while the Centre for African and Asian Studies was named after famed pan-Africanist and founding Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkurumah.

The Centre for Gender and Cultural Studies was named after Mbuya Nehanda, the First Chimurenga heroine who stood up against early colonialists and through whom the value and essence of African womanhood was first realised.

Among those present at the ceremony was Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora who stood in for his Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development counterpart Professor Jonathan Moyo who could not attend because of a family bereavement.

Permanent Secretary in the Higher Education ministry Ambassador Dr Machivenyika Mapuranga also attended the graduation ceremony, together with the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Mr George Charamba.