President caps 3 854 MSU graduates

From Tendai Mugabe in Gweru
President Mugabe yesterday capped 3 854 graduates at Midlands State University where he also officially opened halls of residence that accommodate more than 3 000 people.
The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces conferred degrees posthumously on Dylan Musekiwa and Benny Mtetwa, who passed on before graduation day.

The two graduated with Bachelor of Science Human Resource Management (Honours) and Bachelor of Science Natural Resources Management and Agriculture (General) degrees.

Among the graduates were students from Sadc countries such as Angola, Namibia and Swaziland. About 51 percent of the students who graduated with first class degrees were female.

However, males dominated the postgraduate degree category where they constituted 58 percent of graduates.
MSU Vice Chancellor Professor Ngwabi Bhebhe said the institution was continuously re-branding its programmes to meet ever-changing global learning trends and industry/employer requirements.

He said such efforts were being made with a view to producing world-class graduates. Prof Bhebhe said MSU boasted of a competent staff compliment to ensure quality education.

“For instance, from the 2008 situation when first degree holders held the fort in lecture rooms to support the higher education system in the country from collapsing, we now boast of a teaching staff compliment of 460, of whom 15 percent are PhD holders, 82 percent are Masters degree holders and only a mere three percent are first degree holders who are on their way to completing postgraduate training,” he said.

“Of the 82 percent Masters degree holders, 41 percent or 190 are registered for PhD’s with national, regional and international universities and 8,4 percent of these are due to complete their doctoral studies next year in 2014.”

Prof Bhebhe said MSU made it a prerequisite that lecturers should go through pedagogical training and certification to become effective and versatile in their chosen careers.

He said the college devoted a substantial budget towards research bearing in mind that it is the cornerstone of any reputable learning institution.

Prof Bhebhe said the college had made notable progress in addressing student accommodation on campus, and they had increased the number of people who could be housed from 1 029 last year to more than 3 000 in 2013.

He said the halls of residence were constructed by a Chinese company which they still owed US$4 million.