Zimbabwe: Catholic University spreads to Hwange Diocese.

Leonard Ncube  - Hwange, Zimbabwe.

Enrolment at the Catholic University of Zimbabwe (CUZ) Hwange campus’ academic programmes has started in earnest at the Diocese’s St Josephine Bakhita Primary School.

The Hwange Diocese campus

In a Diocesan update, the Bishop of Hwange Diocese, Raphael Macebo Mabuza Ncube, said the diocese had welcomed the university.

“The Diocese has welcomed the Catholic University of Zimbabwe into the Diocese, and it has opened its doors in Victoria Falls from where it will, with time, spread to other parts of the Diocese,” said Bishop Ncube. He added, “St. Josephine Bakhita Primary School will be temporarily used as its Hwange Diocese Campus.”

CUZ Vice Chancellor Professor Ranga Zinyemba was recently in Victoria Falls, announcing, to parishes, the new diocesan institution. He said the university is already discussing with the Victoria Falls City Council to get land to build a permanent satellite campus in the tourism city. In the meantime, lectures will be conducted at St. Josephine Bakhita until a full campus is built.

Towards a student population of 10 000

CUZ is a Catholic Church affiliated university established in 1999 in Harare. It started with just over 200 pioneer students. The overall student population has since grown to over 2 500.

The opening of the eighth campus is in line with CUZ’s 10-year strategic plan (2013-2023), whose objective is to grow enrolment to about 10 000 students and open campuses in each of the church’s dioceses countrywide.

“We had 280 students when we started, and we came up with the Catholic University of Zimbabwe Growth and Development Strategic plan (2013 to 2023) that by the end of next year, we should be in all the eight dioceses and grow enrolment. We have grown 10 times in numbers to over 2 500 students as we target 10 000,” said the Vice Chancellor.

Already there is a campus in each diocese. These include the Archdioceses of Bulawayo and Harare, Dioceses of Gweru, Gokwe, Chinhoyi, Mutare and Masvingo.

Tertiary education closer to the people

Spreading to all parts of the country aims to bring tertiary education closer to the people and is in keeping with the Zimbabwean Government’s policy of devolution and decentralisation.

The university offers four faculties: Commerce, Innovation and Technology; Education, Social Sciences and Humanities; Theology, Ethics, Religious Studies and Philosophy as well as Graduate Studies, Research and Innovation.

There have been calls for the institution to introduce tourism-related courses to get direct entry by Victoria Falls residents whose main economy is tourism.