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UZ Students' Union at 50: Cry the beloved Varsity
Fortune Chamba, Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU)
October 20, 2007

The state of the University of Zimbabwe, fifty years after the birth of the Students' Union (1957 - 2007), reflects the demise of one of the academic titans in Africa and perhaps the whole world. The university is now a pale shadow of its former self, with standards exponentially declining. As a result all of the glory hitherto associated with the UZ has fallen away, and our beloved varsity is now in danger of being relegated to a mere footnote in the story of tertiary education.

Academic freedoms are being trodden underfoot by the University administration and the State, miscreants who do not have a genuine concern for members of the Students' Union. Education of good quality is a mirage because the economic, social and political environment is inimical to its attainment. Faculties and departments are generally understaffed, poorly resourced and equipped; the exception being the existence of a few senior lecturers who have decided to soldier on, ostensibly driven by a passion to provide their valuable knowledge to the Nation.

Students have been exposed to the harsh economic meltdown, and as a result rentals, transport and food are now expenses burdening the ordinary student, added on to tuition fees and lecture materials and relevant texts, the life of a UZ student is a nightmare. For the first time in recent history no student is resident on campus at a time when staying there would be a cheaper alternative and a step towards attaining a quality University qualification. It is unfortunate that the UZ is being driven by a political agenda that flies in the face of the objects of the UZ carved in section four of the UZ Act: that its objects shall be that advancement of knowledge, the diffusion and extension of arts, science and learning, the provision of higher education and research and nurturing of the intellectual, aesthetic, social and moral growth of the students. None of these objects is being fulfilled satisfactorily; infact what exists is a blatant violation of each and every one of these objects. The education system at UZ has detached itself from the people and is only accessible to the elite. There is virtually no regard being paid to the welfare of disadvantaged groups like the physically disabled, the economically marginalised and the really patriotic members of the Union, sons and daughters of our Zimbabwe. Many students can not even afford a text book and only those students who are able to regurgitate a credible portion of their memory are able to achieve exam success. Furthermore, under resourced libraries at the UZ make qualifications obtained arguably irrelevant the needs of contemporary society, engendering rote learning rather than critical thinking.

There is an ever-present threat to the holistic development of student's cognitive and creative abilities and the current system does not prepare students for responsible lives in a free society promoting peace, understanding, tolerance dialogue, mutual respect and friendship after school. Victimisations of Student Leaders, suppression of constitutional Union activities are just but a few examples of the paranoid tendencies exhibited by those who feel threatened by the SU. To them, the Union is not the custodian of our nation's intellectual future but an enemy who should at all costs be silenced.

It is a pity that the political agenda driving the UZ has sacrificed cross pollination of ideology that the University is renowned for. Disputation is the essence of democracy but anybody who dares dispute does so at his/her own peril. Fifty years down the line, the levels of autocracy in the government of the UZ have reached climax level. Fortunately though, one thing seems certain.

Oppression breeds discontent, such is the way of history, and if positive transformations not forthcoming at the UZ, standards will not only fall but the Union may in the process embark on a process of demanding that which belongs to them through method which may cause more harm than good. The author is not a proponent of 'destructive geological transfer', but I am not so sure about other members of the Union. I am sure however that no one at the UZ intended to be a distance education student. The situation calls for government to expeditiously address the tragedy of mismanagement that has become the UZ story, the story I mourn today. 50 years down the line, the "injure one, injure all" motto that has driven the Student Union still exists albeit as a nightmare. I therefore implore every individual whether in government or civic society who has a passion for the future of academic excellence to join our demands for positive transformation.

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