Zimbabwe Open University
Encyclopedia
The Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) is a distance education university in Zimbabwe
. Established in 1999, it is the only distance education university in the country. Student enrollment at ZOU has been growing steadily from the time of its formation and in terms of enrollment it is the largest university in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Open University has three faculties under which the academic programmes are conducted.
The University of Zimbabwe
, which was the single university in the country at that time, could not cope with the demand for university education. Two commissions were established: the Williams Commission (1981) and the Zimbabwe Open University Feasibility Study (1986). In July 1994, a committee was formed to investigate the development of university distance education. The commission recommended that there is need for distance education at university level to upgrade skills and "to provide a continuing education facility for the adult population". Based on these recommendations the Center for Distance Education (CDE) of the University of Zimbabwe was formed in 1993. In 1996, it became the University College of Distance Education (UCDE) and finally renamed to Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) on March 1 1999 by an Act of Parliament
.
Below is a table showing student enrollment in the Zimbabwe Open University from 1999 to 2003:
The year 2001 marked the increase of the enrollment figures to 23,161. It was because Commerce degrees were introduced that year. There was a decline in student enrollment in 2002 because some found independent learning difficult and many students faced economic difficulties. In 2003, a total of 19,228 students were enrolled in the university which constituted 46.9% of the total university enrolment in the country. According to 2006 estimates, approximately 20,000 students are enrolled in the university which makes it the largest university in Zimbabwe.
The Faculty of Science has four departments:
The Faculty of Commerce is the largest faculty. It has three departments:
The course delivery methods include print media, compact cassettes
, videocassettes, telephone
, fax
, e-mail
, CDs
and radio
broadcasts. ZOU arranges for its students monthly face-to-face meetings with tutors in its regional centers. The university is envisaging the introduction of telelearning/teleteaching methods in its course delivery.
ZOU was a partner in the Electronic Distance Training on Sustainability in African Local Governments (EDITOSIA), a project started in 2001 aimed at formulating recommendations for policymakers of the government, training institutions, municipal associations and other agencies regarding promotion of teaching methods for building the capacity of African governments to deal with the challeges of local sustainability.
.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. Established in 1999, it is the only distance education university in the country. Student enrollment at ZOU has been growing steadily from the time of its formation and in terms of enrollment it is the largest university in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Open University has three faculties under which the academic programmes are conducted.
History
After independence, the Government of Zimbabwe adopted a policy of Education for all. To address the need for high skilled manpower the 5 Year National Development Plan (1991 – 1995) stated:The University of Zimbabwe
University of Zimbabwe
The University of Zimbabwe in Harare, is the oldest and largest university in Zimbabwe. It was founded through a special relationship with the University of London and it opened its doors to its first students in 1952. The university has ten faculties offering a wide variety of degree programmes...
, which was the single university in the country at that time, could not cope with the demand for university education. Two commissions were established: the Williams Commission (1981) and the Zimbabwe Open University Feasibility Study (1986). In July 1994, a committee was formed to investigate the development of university distance education. The commission recommended that there is need for distance education at university level to upgrade skills and "to provide a continuing education facility for the adult population". Based on these recommendations the Center for Distance Education (CDE) of the University of Zimbabwe was formed in 1993. In 1996, it became the University College of Distance Education (UCDE) and finally renamed to Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) on March 1 1999 by an Act of Parliament
Parliament of Zimbabwe
The Parliament of Zimbabwe consists of two chambers:*The Senate *The House of Assembly...
.
Below is a table showing student enrollment in the Zimbabwe Open University from 1999 to 2003:
| Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total student enrollment | 14,313 | 16,995 | 23,161 | 17,770 | 19,228 |
The year 2001 marked the increase of the enrollment figures to 23,161. It was because Commerce degrees were introduced that year. There was a decline in student enrollment in 2002 because some found independent learning difficult and many students faced economic difficulties. In 2003, a total of 19,228 students were enrolled in the university which constituted 46.9% of the total university enrolment in the country. According to 2006 estimates, approximately 20,000 students are enrolled in the university which makes it the largest university in Zimbabwe.
Vision and mission
According to the website of the university, ZOU's vision is the "creation of a World Class Open and Distance Learning University by 2009". The core ideology of the university is "to develop a best-practice enterprise-culture-based open and distance learning university focused on influencing development and change". ZOU's website states its mission is "to empower people through life long learning, thereby enabling them to realise their full potential in an affordable and flexible manner while executing their various endeavours".Academics
The Zimbabwe Open University is a multidisciplinary and inter-faculty institution. It offers both degree courses and non-degree courses. The university has three faculties: the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Arts, Education and Humanities and the Faculty of Commerce. A total of 24 programmes are offered under these faculties. As of 2006, the Faculty of Arts, Education, and Humanities has three departments:- Department of Education,
- Department of Languages and Media Studies
- Department of Social Sciences.
The Faculty of Science has four departments:
- Department of Health Science,
- Department of Agriculture,
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.
The Faculty of Commerce is the largest faculty. It has three departments:
- Department of Banking and Finance Management and Business Studies
- Department of Accounting
- Department of Human Resources, Marketing and Labour Relations.
The course delivery methods include print media, compact cassettes
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, videocassettes, telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
, fax
Fax
Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
, CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcasts. ZOU arranges for its students monthly face-to-face meetings with tutors in its regional centers. The university is envisaging the introduction of telelearning/teleteaching methods in its course delivery.
ZOU was a partner in the Electronic Distance Training on Sustainability in African Local Governments (EDITOSIA), a project started in 2001 aimed at formulating recommendations for policymakers of the government, training institutions, municipal associations and other agencies regarding promotion of teaching methods for building the capacity of African governments to deal with the challeges of local sustainability.
Library
The library of the university was fundamental in the success of ZOU. The libraries consist of a branch in each of the regional centers handled by two people. These libraries are very popular. The administration of all the libraries in different regional centers are centralized to maintain uniformity and easy coordination. The library of ZOU has agreement with other universities in the country under the Zimbabwe University Libraries Associations to use each other's facilities.Effects on the nation
According to Mr Mhlotswa, the Deputy Librarian of the Zimbabwe Open University, the course on agriculture offered by ZOU has contributed significantly to the land reform programme in the country. The industry also praised the university as many of their employees have improved performance after undergoing the ZOU programmes. Graduates from the ZOU are established in almost every sector of the economy of ZimbabweEconomy of Zimbabwe
The economy of Zimbabwe has shrunk significantly after 2000, resulting in a desperate situation for the country and widespread poverty from among others 94% unemployment. The participation from 1998 to 2002 in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo set the stage for this deterioration by...
.