Chronicle Editor
Andile Tshuma, Chronicle Correspondent
WHEN Professor Primrose Kurasha, Zimbabwe’s first female academic to be appointed Vice Chancellor for the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU), died in 2017, women in top management positions in the higher and tertiary education fraternity were plunged into deep mourning.
However, all hope is not lost for women as another trailblazer has risen in the mould of Gwanda State University Vice Chancellor Professor Ntombizakhe Mlilo. She is the institution’s founding Vice Chancellor and the country’s second female Vice Chancellor after the late Prof Kurasha.
Prof Mlilo was appointed in January 2019.
Having women at the helm in higher education at State universities is a reflection of confidence that the Government has in female leadership.
It is also an indication of the support by Government in terms of steering the country towards the direction of equal opportunities in the context of gender imbalances in the higher education sector.
Mainstreaming of gender into the higher education system in Zimbabwe requires gender responsive actions at national, school and community levels backed up by adequate resource allocation by the Government and partners.
Government has excelled in this regard through introducing policies that have ensured equitable access to higher education between men and women since independence in 1980.
While Zimbabwe has a legal framework that values gender equality and equity in education, the country is also a signatory to many declarations aimed at widening opportunities for women’s leadership in academia and decision-making.
The Education Act of 1982 which provided for education for all irrespective of race and gender formed a firm foundation for women to be able to access quality education from lower levels and to be able to advance to higher education.
In an interview on the strides made by women in post-independence Zimbabwe, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Professor Amon Murwira, said the achievements of women were reflective of the efforts by Government in terms of affording all Zimbabweans equitable access to educational opportunities.
Now, female students currently enrolled at universities make up 54 percent of the student population, with female students making up about 74 percent of the student population at teacher’s colleges.
Such statistics show that the policies implemented by Government at the dawn of independence are paying dividends.
The Minister, was however, quick to mention that the successes that have been registered so far should not be mistaken for a sign that people can relax as there was still a lot of work to be done and more opportunities to be taken up.
“We gained independence at a time when most countries in the world were still not according women full rights. At independence, we gave Zimbabweans their full right including women and during that time, Europe had not even gone to that extent, particularly in the field of higher education where we have made significant strides. Now in higher education, 54 percent of students are female in universities. At teachers’ colleges 74 percent students are female, 26 percent are male. This shows how far we have gone,” said Prof Murwira.
While there is still room for improvement in fields such as Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM), having women taking up almost 40 percent of the student population in STEM is also an indicator of the gains of independence in higher education.
“We still have to make huge improvement in the technology engineering and mathematics area where our statistics is around 40 percent female. We have made quite some movements but we can still do more. For the first time starting from last year, we have our second woman Vice Chancellor,” said Prof Murwira.
“The first one was from ZOU, the second one is Prof Mlilo at Gwanda State university. It’s almost 50-50 in terms of principals. At Hillside Teachers’ College we have a female, at Joshua Mqabuko Polytechnic there is a female, Mkoba Teachers’ College has a female. At Morgenster Teachers’ College there is a female there as well as Marymount Teachers’ College.”
Prof Murwira said they were now looking into having more women professors.
“One of our best scientists doing artificial insemination is a female at Chinhoyi University of Technology,” he said.
The Minister said degrading women was a Western influence which came with colonisation.
He said more untapped opportunities still exist for women and added that Government would continue ensuring that the girl child was supported to access higher education.
“At independence, the whole university population was less than 5 000 but now I have over 122 000 people in universities. We were being taught by temporary teachers all over the place. The statistic was negligible. UZ (University of Zimbabwe) by that time had less than 3 000 people. Sometimes we take things for granted. A lot of things happened and now we are taking things for granted,” he said.
He said by 1990, Zimbabwe had only two universities, the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) and the UZ both of which had an enrolment of 5 000 students.
“So sometimes we have to take time to praise the bridges that made us cross over. Imagine talking of the percentage of girls from a total university a population of less than 5 000, the numbers were very low.
“It however shows clearly now how far we have come,” said Prof Murwira.
The Director of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission Mrs Virginia Muwanigwa said women in higher education have made a lot of strides since independence.
She said their successes were an indicator that women have been denied opportunities despite their ability to excel in any field.
“We celebrate the success of women because it is not easy to be a woman and to be a leader in your trade. While gains have been made in changing perceptions in society, women still have to face the reality of patriarchy and it presents challenges such as the much talked about glass ceilings,” she said.
“However, all of gains have been made as Government and its partners have ensured that women access education, and succeed in higher education all the way to taking up posts that were previously assumed to be a preserve for men. As we approach our independence celebrations, it is good to note that 40 is a prophetic number and marking 40 years must mean something to us as Zimbabweans,” she said.
She said the immediate post-independence period was very good and a lot of gains were recorded. Mrs Muwanigwa said however recently women in higher education, and across the board have been met by a number of challenges including high tuition fees, exam fees, a harsh economy that sees some women being unable to further their studies.
“We have sexual harassment growing at our institutions, and it is bad. Such pull backs must be addressed as they threaten to take away the gains the we have amassed in this long journey that we have taken as a nation,” she said.
One of the notable successes that women have made recently are in STEM fields in higher education and a local initiative, Girls in STEM, is working to ensure that more women take up STEM subjects at university, through mentorship programmes.
Under the programme, girls are exposed to multiple women leaders in STEM and take time shadowing them as they explore their career options.-@andile_tshuma.
Londile Moyo
Bongani Ndlovu