CIVIC society, human rights groups and students have slammed government plans to scrap what it termed \u201cuseless\u201d degrees from State universities, saying the move might impact negatively on those that have already acquired or are in the process of acquiring the qualifications.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the government revealed that it was actively reviewing degrees offered by State universities with a view to standardising qualifications and abolish \u201cirrelevant\u201d programmes that were ostensibly creating \u201cidle\u201d graduates who do not have innovative skills.<\/p>\n
The Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (Zimche) has since been directed to audit all degrees at State universities.<\/p>\n
Higher and Tertiary Education minister Amon Murwira said the realignment was expected to be completed in time for the second semester \u2014 around August \u2014 this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have some degree programmes which, when one completes the studies, that person cannot even practise what they have learnt,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But the plans have irked civic organisations, human rights groups and students.<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions western region chairperson Ambrose Sibindi said they will soon engage the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights to challenge the decision in court.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment approved these degrees and citizens invested money on the same, as they paid huge sums of money on fees. Some people are already in employment having used those degrees, the question is what is their fate now? They are in danger of losing their jobs or losing chances of promotion,\u201d Sibindi said.<\/p>\n
A student at the National University of Science and Technology, who preferred anonymity, said the plan was barbaric.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat has happened with these guys? You cannot label as \u2018useless\u2019 the same degrees you approved in the past. It is like a doctor prescribing a drug and then soon after you buy it the same doctor tells you that it does not work. Utter nonsense!\u201d the student said.<\/p>\n
Another student said government must be taken to court for wasting people\u2019s time and money on so-called \u201cuseless\u201d degrees.<\/p>\n
South Africa-based human rights and political activist Fortune Mlalazi said government\u2019s priorities were misplaced.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur problems in Zimbabwe are not those so-called useless degrees, but it is the issue of infrastructure and education practitioners that are not well paid.
\nThey must deal with these, instead of scrapping those degrees, but at least introduce degrees with modern flair as an upgrade of those which they deem useless without affecting the graduands who acquired them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Church and Civic Society Joint Forum national chairperson, Anglistone Sibanda concurred with government that there were some useless degrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think to be honest there are some programmes that are now irrelevant. I agree, but I do not agree with the strategy of phasing them out. It must be systematic and allow those who enrolled to finish before phasing them out. It is not the students\u2019 fault, but government\u2019s fault for having kept those programmes for so long knowing that they are no longer relevant and it is unfair for students,\u201d Sibanda said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CIVIC society, human rights groups and students have slammed government plans to scrap what it termed \u201cuseless\u201d degrees from State universities, saying the move might impact negatively on those that have already acquired or are in the process of acquiring the qualifications. On Saturday, the government revealed that it was actively reviewing degrees offered by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":3610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,35],"tags":[32,55,240,217,357],"class_list":{"0":"post-5034","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-community","9":"category-homepage-english","10":"tag-education","11":"tag-government","12":"tag-money","13":"tag-schools","14":"tag-university"},"yoast_head":"\n