Harare (New Ziana) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday capped over 3 000 Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) graduands at the institution’s campus in Hatcliffe, Harare.
The 3 616 graduands comprised 2 316 females and 1 300 males, with 2 894 obtaining undergraduate degrees while 224 had Masters Degrees.
Overall, 64 percent of the graduands were women, showing that females dominate enrolment at ZOU.
ZOU university Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Gundani paid tribute to the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education for availing $225 000 000 towards the establishment of the Kadoma Agro-Techno Project Innovation Hub, which helped the higher learning institution to realize US$20 097 from the sale of farm produce at the site.
In an effort to supplement income from student fees and government grants, Prof Gundani said ZOU embarked on business projects and programmes, for example micro-credentialising courses in Education, Applied Social Sciences and Commerce, which managed to raise US$24 192 this year.
“To complement the PSIP funding (Public Sector Investment Programme) for the block, in June 2023, we installed a 10KVA solar system to provide power backup in case of load shedding. This was part of a broader strategy to provide a sustainable supply of energy to support e-learning across ZOU’s regional campuses,” said Prof Gundani. “So far, three out of 10 regional campuses have been solarised. Going forward, we aim to salorise one campus per semester.”
He said eight new programmes were unconditionally approved by the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE), among them four bachelors’ and four masters’ programmes.
Prof Gundani said the university’s Students’ Representative Council (SRC), after being inspired by the First Lady’s philanthropic work, initiated the Give (the) Needy Project which saw them donating second hand clothes, sanitary pads and groceries to the needy in Harare, Masvingo, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Bulawayo and Manicaland provinces. The SRC also carried out campaigns against drug abuse and promoted breast cancer awareness among other activities.
He said ZOU, together with Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) and Jomo Kenyatta University, among other African universities, collaboratively submitted a research project proposal to Erasmus Mundus’ UPLIFT programme to promote innovation and technology transfer in agriculture in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Zimbabwe that was approved for funding to the tune of 789 900 Brithsh Sterling Pounds, of which 51 833 Sterling Pounds was earmarked for ZOU activities.
ZOU also won funding to implement the CREATE Green Africa programme funded by the European Union (EU) to the tune of 1 799 080 Euro of which 246 080 Euro is earmarked for the university’s in-country activities.
He said the university’s collaboration with regional and international universities has seen its collaboration with University of Zambia (UNZA) Institute of Distance Education, producing 22 PhD graduands and 1 299 Masters graduands since its launch in 2014.
“Similarly, in 2023, ZOU signed an agreement with Chalimbana University to promote collaboration in the training of doctoral students,” he said.
“Through your lead, Your Excellency and Chancellor, in 2023, ZOU signed agreements with various universities from Belarus, Russia and Spain to promote scientific research, technical and cultural exchange, and academic co-operation,” Prof Gundani said.
New Ziana
