Joshua Nkomo Academic Memorial Lecture held at Midlands State University

MIDLANDS State University (MSU) hosted the Joshua Nkomo Academic Memorial Lecture which was graced by the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Amon Murwira. “Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo is one of the prolific African leaders from Matabeleland in Zimbabwe who deserve respect beyond the region and across the globe”, said Prof Amon Murwira in his speech. Dr. Nkomo was born in 1917 in Bukalanga or Bulilima in Matabeleland South and died on July 1999 in Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare due to prostate cancer, and was declared a National hero. Dr Nkomo was the founder and president of the National Democratic Party (NDP) in 1960, Zimbabwe African People’s Union party (ZAPU) in 1962. ZAPU fought along-side with Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) towards liberating Zimbabwe from colonial rule. He served as Vice president of Zimbabwe under ZANU PF lead by Robert Gabriel Mugabe from 1987 to 1999. Professor Ngonidzashe Victor Muzvidziwa, described Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo as an esteemed philosopher and rare specie. “The crown of man’s achievement is the love he displays”, said the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Fanual Tarwireyi. The invited guest who delivered at the Joshua Nkomo Academic Memorial Lecture, Professor Sabelo Gatsheni Ndlovu from University of South Africa (UNISA) said our tertiary education sector in Zimbabwe is hampered by tribalism, sexism and greediness, which is what the late Dr Nkomo disliked. “Why should we remember Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo? He is a man who was being on fire for justice, who fought with consciousness to lift and empower others”, Prof Gatsheni revealed. “Corporate Universities that are run like corporate organisation, which recruits students in masses to generate profit disturbs the quality of our education and graduates, leading to access of education by the less intelligent but with money”, he said. Graduates should develop love for knowledge and not certificates and our universities and colleges should desist from massification and produce relevant knowledge that enable graduates to solve problems emanating from Africa using local langauge, he added. Professor Sabelo Gatsheni Ndlovu praised 5.0 approach introduced by Professor Murwira which encourage students to be innovative and to generate new ideas related to problems faced in Zimbabwe. “Our education have the crisis of being elitist that is accessible to those with money and segregating those intelligent from poor families”, Professor Gatsheni said