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The value of academics
Students Solidarity Trust
March 25, 2011

In several jurisdictions around the world, academics are valued and their input appreciated. Indeed, whether in local or national government initiatives, academics are usually consulted to enhance the governance process. This appreciation of ideas and embracing of diversity often leads to strong laws with buy-in from the people. Students and lecturers alike take part in the formulation of laws through the public consultation process and also have suggestions on local government budgets for instance. Arms of government actually reach out to harness these ideas to qualitatively improve their legislation. Other jurisdictions have made it mandatory for academics to be on boards and other decision-making structures of government. National budgets reflect this through the generous budget allocations to institutions of higher learning to ensure that the academic factory continues to churn out citizens who will contribute to the nation's prosperity.

Zimbabwe is about to celebrate its 31st year and unfortunately, academics are still considered a threat to the lootocracy that has governed the country. Through patronage, plunder, prosecution and persecution, ZANU PF trudges on trashing all academic discourse with divergent ideas. Only that discourse in sync with the former ruling party ideology is allowed to prevail and forced down people's throats through a complicit state media machinery which unapologetically chooses to ignore the reality that Zimbabwe is not a homogeneous society. Despite plunging into mediocrity, the state media continues to be a piper forced to play discordant tunes through ensuring that no other voices are heard or read about in the print and electronic media.

Initiatives to revive Zimbabwe's academic factories have been violently repulsed by those who are supposed to champion them. Students continue to wallow in poverty, unable to pay for their tuition and living in squalor due to a refractory ministry bent on scoring cheap political points instead of being on their side. Calls for the ministry to reinstate loans and grants have fallen on deaf ears whilst the haggling has been over procedure and how Minister Tendai Biti brought the issue to parliament during his November 25 budget statement. Efforts for the ministry to account and explain to students seem to be going nowhere as the ministry elected to have students representatives ejected from a parliamentary portfolio committee meeting where they were giving evidence.

Indeed, lecturers, like all civil servants continue to get paltry salaries from government on account of the several leakages treasury has had to deal with. Lack of transparency especially in the mining sector is the order of the day and this means that there is very little to spend on resuscitating the dilapidated infrastructure and on students' needs. It is important for education to be restored to its former glory for the nation to prosper. Academics have a role to play whether through their divergent or convergent views. Zimbabwe must recognise and utilise the value and input academics bring.

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