Push to improve lecturer numbers and qualifications

By Kudzai Mashininga. Zimbabwe’s government has outlined plans to raise the bar in lecturer qualifications as part of an initiative to improve quality in universities. Standards plummeted during a decade-long political and economic crisis that sparked a massive brain drain in all sectors, including higher education.
The aim is for all lecturers to have PhDs by 2015 – although there is little likelihood of this being achieved. Since the formation of a unity government in February 2009, initiatives have also been put in place to bring back academics who have left the country, either on short-term placements or in permanent positions – and some successes are starting to be recorded. Read more...