The
Zimbabwe
Council
for
Higher
Education
(ZIMCHE)
says
more
than
5
000
Zimbabweans
are
currently
enrolled
in
medical
programmes
in
Zambia,
prompting
concerns
over
the
quality
and
recognition
of
qualifications
obtained
abroad.
ZIMCHE
chief
executive
officer
Professor
Kuzvinetsa
Dzvimbo
revealed
the
planned
visit
during
an
engagement
with
students
at
Bindura
University
of
Science
Education
(BUSE)
on
Friday.
“There
is
a
university
in
Zambia
where
about
5
000
Zimbabweans
are
studying
medicine,
so
we
want
to
make
sure
that
when
they
come
back,
they
will
be
accepted
by
the
medical
profession,”
said
Prof
Dzvimbo.
He
said
the
assessment
is
part
of
a
broader
regional
exercise
that
will
also
see
ZIMCHE
teams
visiting
universities
in
Uganda,
Kenya
and
Namibia
to
strengthen
academic
standards
and
harmonisation.
According
to
Prof
Dzvimbo,
Zimbabwe
maintains
a
rigorous
quality
assurance
system
designed
to
ensure
that
both
local
and
foreign
qualifications
meet
regional
and
international
benchmarks.
“When
universities
want
to
introduce
a
degree
programme,
we
ask
them
who
they
have
benchmarked
against
locally,
regionally
and
globally,”
he
said.
He
explained
that
programme
evaluations
involve
teams
of
associate
professors
and
full
professors
drawn
from
Zimbabwe
and
abroad,
including
Zimbabwean
academics
working
in
countries
such
as
the
United
Kingdom
and
the
United
States.
“The
process
of
approving
a
degree
programme
is
rigorous
and
designed
to
ensure
that
qualifications
offered
by
our
institutions
compare
favourably
with
those
from
top
universities
around
the
world,”
he
said.
During
the
engagement,
students
raised
concerns
about
the
global
recognition
of
Zimbabwean
degrees
and
whether
local
institutions
are
doing
enough
to
produce
competitive
graduates.
In
response,
Prof
Dzvimbo
assured
them
that
ZIMCHE
continuously
reviews
programmes
to
ensure
they
remain
relevant
and
aligned
with
industry
needs.
“We
want
to
make
sure
that
what
you
study
prepares
you
for
industry,
commerce
and
government
anywhere
in
the
world,”
he
said.
He
described
Zimbabwe’s
higher
education
quality
assurance
system
as
“sacrosanct,”
emphasising
that
every
proposed
degree
programme
undergoes
extensive
scrutiny
before
approval.
ZIMCHE’s
Higher
Education
Quality
Assurance
Board
–
which
includes
representatives
from
academia,
industry
and
government
–
plays
a
key
role
in
ensuring
graduates
are
equipped
for
the
labour
market.
Prof
Dzvimbo
added
that
the
council
regularly
compares
Zimbabwean
degree
programmes
with
those
offered
in
other
regions
to
maintain
competitiveness.
“I
will
be
in
Uganda
next
week,
some
colleagues
will
be
in
Kenya,
and
others
in
Namibia.
We
are
looking
at
degree
programmes
and
comparing
them
with
those
in
Zimbabwe,”
he
said.
“Where
we
think
our
degrees
do
not
compare
favourably,
we
respectfully
engage
institutions
to
improve
them.”
The
planned
visit
to
Zambia
is
expected
to
provide
further
clarity
on
the
standards
of
medical
training
being
offered,
amid
growing
reliance
by
Zimbabwean
students
on
foreign
universities.