Andrew
Reverend Isaac Pandasvika
ANY academic endeavor is aimed at addressing challenges and finding solutions in our communities, locally, nationally, regionally and globally.
The Reformed Church in Zimbabwe, being the founding fathers of the Reformed Church University (RCU), had a vision from its inception in 1891 at Morgenster.
One of the key principles in its vision was on inclusivity – eradicating the social, cultural and other barriers that created a band between different groups in society, especially the differently abled.
Thus the RCU is the emblem of a university that contributes to a democracy which truly empowers all people regardless of physical disposition and other differences, thus contributing to social justice, equality and sustainability.
Thus being an RCU graduate means being a responsible citizen, a person who cares and wants to make a difference in the world that we share. We, as the university community are set apart from any other educational institution by our commitment to reflect the values and ethos of the founding fathers of the RCU in all that we do: in our teaching and learning, research and innovation, engagement, outreach and internationalisation.
We are set apart by our commitment to anchor humanity at the centre of everything we do, and how we do it, and to place inclusivity at the centre of our scholarship.
This is not simply a mission statement, but a responsibility that I know is taken very seriously by the leadership of the university, and all who work and study here.
How are you going to “build a legacy through inclusivity” in areas where you are going to work, how are you going to “change the world” towards the ideals of the RCU?
On posing these questions, the words of an African leader, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, comes to my mind, “The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, then they are not big enough.”
One of Nelson Mandela’s most famous quotes on education is that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.
To my mind, this refers not only to education as a tool that equips people with skills and the ability to do things, as important as that is in terms of the ability to earn a living.
But on a more philosophical level, education as a “weapon to change the world” challenges the notion of colonial and traditional approaches to education which worked as weapons of indoctrination, entrenching inequality and oppression not only in the selection of what people were taught, but also in how they were taught to think about themselves and others which resulted in social segregation based on gender, physical disposition and ethnicity.
Education challenges unfair perceptions engraved in human minds through years of indoctrination.
I ask you then, how are you going to use all that you have learned and experienced in your university, to shine a light on the darkness of social segregation, prejudice and intolerance?
How will you use your education as a weapon to empower others, especially the socially disadvantaged groups? Remember, quality education is both an equaliser and a liberator.
Changing attitudes, behaviours, policies and practices that allowed ‘smart’ exclusion of certain groups of people from key social and economic activities is at the heart of transformation — a re-balancing and reinvention that we must tackle persistently and fearlessly because it is critical to our collective, shared future.
In this vein, the RCU sparks a renewed vigour in Zimbabwe’s Higher Education landscape as it aims to effect meaningful socio-cultural transformation through inclusivity.
I am pleased to say that I can see this “renewed vigour” taking hold in all aspects of the University — serving to enhance our core purpose of teaching, learning, research and engagement that unleashes the full potential of our staff, students and graduates to “change
the world” through their contributions to scholarship and social change — through curriculum innovation, technology-enhanced teaching and learning, promoting multilingualism and cross-disciplinary work, and efforts to understand inclusive teaching and learning.
The quest of the RCU is for a more equal and socially-just world.
As you go out to seek answers in your own lives and in your world, my question to you is: What is your yardstick? How do you measure your efforts against your quest?
Online Reporter