(TALKZIMBABWE) Govt sets up council for higher education

Govt sets up council for higher education
Our reporter
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:55:00 +0000

THE inclusive Government of Zimbabwe has set up a Council for Higher Education, which will be responsible for registration and accreditation of universities.

Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Dr Stan Mudenge announced the appointment of the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education in Harare on Wednesday.

The council will wield governance and executive authority over quality assurance in university education in the country, among other responsibilities.

Current Zesa Holdings chairman Professor Christopher Chetsanga — who also sits on the boards of a number of organisations and companies — will chair the council.

He will be deputised by former Cabinet minister Professor Simbi Mubako, who teaches law at the Midlands State University.

Minister Mudenge said the council was established by an Act of Parliament with a mandate to sustain and guarantee quality assurance in university education by accrediting, monitoring and advancing quality at all universities in Zimbabwe.

"Higher education in this country is now governed by an enabling legislation and regulatory framework, which will ensure quality and the alignment of the quality assurance systems to those existing in the region and on the African continent.

"The legislation has resulted in the transformation of the National Council for Higher Education into a proper quality control system with a set of standards, manuals and advisory standing committees for accreditation and consistent audit of programmes and well-researched guidance material," he said.

Minister Mudenge said the council should not only concern itself with issues of registration and accreditation of universities but should go a step further in ensuring that critical institutional standards of any university in Zimbabwe are fully understood, established and maintained to the satisfaction of the nation.