Why have Zimbabwe universities become an international embarrassment?

When Zimbabwe attained her independence in 1980, the country only had one university.

As a matter of fact, the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) was the only university my generation knew and aspired to attend as the pinnacle of academic success.

Even when the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) was established in 1991 – when we were by then in our Lower Sixth Form (Form 5) – most of us still dreamt of going to UZ.

Only my best friend, the late Brian Taurai Murau – who was a straight-A student and a science genius – seemed to gravitate towards the newly-launched NUST, where he eventually went to do his first degree in biochemistry in 1993.

Although the country still only had two universities, we still regarded them as some of the best on the African continent.

In fact, after the establishment of NUST and the granting of university status to the Seventh-Day Adventist-run Solusi University by the Zimbabwe government in 1994, there was an influx of students from our southern neighbors, South Africa and Botswana, who were desperate to acquire this high-standard education.

This was due to the two universities’ location in the southern part of Zimbabwe.

However, at the dawn of the new millennium, the government of Zimbabwe suddenly went into a university craze.

First, there was the Midlands State University (MSU) in Gweru, and then came all the rest flooding onto the scene.

Private players were also not to be outdone as several, mostly church-run universities, came on board, such as the Catholic University, Africa University, and Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University, amongst others.

Today, the country boasts at least 18 universities.

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Nonetheless, most of the ‘new’ state-run universities were not actually established from scratch but were merely transformed from either teachers or technical colleges.

MSU, for instance, was the Gweru Teachers College, Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) was the Masvingo Teachers College, and Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) originated from the Zimbabwe-Cuba Teacher Training Program.

Establishing universities in nearly every corner of Zimbabwe was viewed as a progressive step that would ensure that access to these institutions of higher learning was no longer elitist and a preserve of only a few.

Nonetheless, somewhere along the way, something went terribly wrong.

University education in Zimbabwe is no longer what it used to be.

Standards have plummeted to shocking levels.

Our universities churn out over 30,000 graduates each year, most of whom find themselves either unemployed or unemployable partly due to a huge deficit between the mediocre learning they attained and the demands of today’s fast-developing world.

Zimbabwe’s universities are facing a crisis and have become the laughing stock of the world.

There is nothing that says this more clearly than the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Is it not humiliating that of all the universities we have in Zimbabwe, both state and private, only the UZ made it onto this list?

Still, there is absolutely nothing for the UZ to celebrate since the once revered institution sits at the very bottom of the world rankings.

In the 2024 World University Rankings, the UZ sat in the lowly 1,201 – 1,500 joint band.

This time around, it is even worse, as the institution has slipped down further to the embarrassing 1,501+ band in the 2025 rankings.

This is like moving from getting an ‘F’ (fail) to a U (ungraded) in an examination!

It can not be denied that something is seriously wrong with or in our universities.

The country’s institutions of higher learning are failing to meet global standards, and it’s time to ask why.

A significant obstacle to Zimbabwe’s universities achieving global standards is the lack of public funding for research.

Expert educators and researchers, such as Simon McGrath, agree that investment in knowledge generation is crucial for producing world-class research institutions.

Without this investment, Zimbabwe’s universities can not hope to become knowledge-driven institutions.

As much as the Zimbabwe government has introduced what are termed ‘innovation hubs’, but let’s be honest, these have proven nothing more than huge jokes.

How many people knew that the world-changing antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered and developed into a medicine by Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey, and Ernst Chain at the University of Oxford?

Or, that Oxford’s Jenner Institute developed the COVID-19 vaccine Oxford AstraZeneca in 2020?

Or, John Goodenough and his colleagues at the same university developed lithium-ion batteries.

I could go on and on.

Yet, here we are in Zimbabwe, where our universities are busy making ‘mazhanje juice’ or doing reverse engineering on trams!

These should be projects for primary schools and polytechnics, respectively,  at ‘science fairs’!

Breaking down a tram and studying how it was made is not exactly stuff for universities!

I remember a conversation I once had with a former university science professor whose book he wanted me to edit.

He expressed deep disappointment with the manner in which our universities were packaging the local manufacture of already existing products as ‘invention’.

Our universities are not inventing anything but merely reproducing what has already been invented by others elsewhere.

Only advanced research and ground-breaking innovations are to be expected from our universities.

No wonder the University of Oxford is number one on the World University Rankings, and we are at the bottom!

Zimbabwe’s universities are focused on textbook-based education rather than cutting-edge research.

This approach may have been sufficient in the past, but it won’t drive innovation and progress in today’s fast-paced world, especially for a country dreaming of becoming an upper middle-income economy by 2030.

Our universities need to transform into research-driven institutions, generating intellectual property and solving real-world problems.

The University of Oxford’s research-focused approach is a prime example.

With over £1.2 billion in research funding annually, Oxford produces ground-breaking research in various fields.

Zimbabwe’s universities can adopt similar strategies.

However, the main obstacle to this vision is a lack of investment and funding, both public and private, for research in Zimbabwe universities.

We have a government that is prepared to spend US$16 million on cars for traditional leaders.

Those in power have no qualms pumping US$54 million into a private jet for President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s own luxury.

Yet, we are content with and even proud when our universities make hand sanitizers whilst Harvard University, for example, pioneered soft robotics, brain-computer interfaces, and gene therapy.

The private sector also has a role to play in supporting Zimbabwe’s universities.

Unfortunately, many big corporates in Zimbabwe prioritize profits over investing in knowledge generation and innovation.

Philanthropy in Zimbabwe often takes the form of donating vehicles or giving handouts rather than supporting research and development.

In contrast, Stanford University’s partnerships with Silicon Valley tech giants have fostered innovation and entrepreneurship.

Companies like Google and Facebook collaborate with Stanford researchers, driving technological advancements.

Zimbabwe’s private sector can adopt similar partnership models.

The National University of Singapore’s (NUS) focus on interdisciplinary research and innovation is a model for Zimbabwe’s universities.

By collaborating across departments, Singaporean researchers produce cutting-edge solutions to real-world problems.

The NUS researchers developed a quantum computer prototype, artificial photosynthesis, low-cost efficient water purification system, potential cancer treatments, and intelligent transportation systems.

In other words, our universities should move away from the mediocre!

So what can be done?

Firstly, the government must prioritize public funding for research.

The current allocation of an estimated 13% of the national budget to education is grossly insufficient.

Comparatively, South Africa allocates 20% of its budget to education.

Secondly, universities need to transform into research-driven institutions.

Thirdly, the private sector must step up and support knowledge generation.

Finally, universities must stop sabotaging themselves with mediocre projects.

As can be seen, Zimbabwe’s universities are at a crossroads.

Will they continue down the path of mediocrity, or will they rise to the challenge and become world-class institutions?

The choice is clear.