Funding constraints

Herald Reporters
POOR funding is hampering efforts to develop robust distance education programmes to meet the growing demand for open learning in Zimbabwe and the entire Sadc region, educationists have said.The educationists were speaking recently when they met in Harare to discuss preparations for the forthcoming Distance Education Association of Southern Africa annual conference which will be held from September 20 -22 in Gaborone, Botswana.

Professor Primrose Kurasha, the Vice-Chancellor of Zimbabwe Open University and chairperson of DEASA said poor funding had been a major headache for open learning institutions in the country. “In the past four years of the inclusive government we could not get adequate funding for open distance learning and this compromised our operations,” she said.

“We are optimistic that the new government will firmly support ODL and fund our activities adequately.”
Mrs Unity Chipunza, director of Virtual and Open Distance Learning at Bindura University of Science Education said it was important for all ODL institutions in the country to collaborate and mobilise resources to improve the quality of learning and teaching.