Slow progress on MUAS worrisome

Ngoni Dapira
ZANU-PF provincial secretary for administration, Cde Kenneth Saruchera, bemoaned the slow progress on instituting the Manicaland University of Applied Sciences. This was said in a briefing last week Thursday during Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko’s visit to Mutare.
Vice-President Mphoko’s was touring key distressed companies that had viability potential to create employment in the province as well as generate big business for downstream companies.

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Cde Saruchera said the proposal for the project was made 10-years ago, but no significant progress had been made even after the project was given the green light in 2013.

“We have not seen any significant progress on the ground in regard to the project of the Manicaland University of Applied Sciences, of which the proposal was made 10 years ago . . . . Although the projects finally kicked off in 2013 under Midlands State University, we are still not impressed by the slow progression on the ground. Already Mashonaland East had its Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Bill passed in July and the Bill now awaits the President’s assent to become operational, but we are still waiting for our Bill to be officially gazetted,” said Cde Saruchera, who is also regional director of the Zimbabwe Open University .

Cde Saruchera said the Manicaland University would be a key developmental pillar in the province in terms of employment creation, human capital development and propping up local downstream business prospects.

The call by Cde Saruchera was on the contrary immediately followed by a Government gazette of two Bills last Friday for the Manicaland and Matabeleland South universities.
The Manicaland University of Applied Science Bill and the Gwanda State University Bill are now expected to be tabled before Parliament.

Manicaland University of Applied Sciences is expected to nurture scholars in the fields of applied sciences, mineral sciences, forestry sciences, agricultural sciences and tourism and hospitality, while Gwanda State University will specialise in animal and veterinary sciences, irrigation engineering and management, mining engineering and ecosystem restoration.

In terms of the Bills, some of the objectives of the universities will be to contribute towards, “the advancement of knowledge through teaching, research and learning and the nurturing of the intellectual, aesthetic, social and moral growth of the students.”

From a backdrop of one university at independence in 1980, Government has established fully fledged universities in all, but three provinces and has encouraged the establishment of private universities.

From having the expanded University of Zimbabwe in Harare the new State universities are the Midlands State University, Great Zimbabwe University (Masvingo), Chinhoyi University of Technology (Mashonaland West), Bindura University of Science Education (Mashonaland Central), National University of Science and Technology (Bulawayo) and Lupane State University (Matabeleland North).

In open distance learning there is Zimbabwe Open University, while several private universities mostly church related are now dotted around the country.

Manicaland, Matabeleland South and Mashonaland East were the only provinces without a State university.
Vice-President Mphoko in his response said it was important for the Manicaland University project to come up with its own niche to address relevant needs of human capital development from a regional standpoint.

VP Mphoko gave an example of a futuristic course such as Renewable Energy Engineering, currently offered in several developed countries, citing such a programme to be key for the future developmental concerns of the country.