**3. Part 2: the perils of private higher education in Zimbabwe**

#### **3.1 Challenges facing higher education in Zimbabwe**

#### *3.1.1 High cost of tuition, poor access to decent accommodation and food insecurity*

Exorbitant tuition fees and relatively high cost of accommodation are among some of the major challenges facing students at both private and public higher education institutions alike in Zimbabwe. The Southern Africa sub-region has witnessed a number of student demonstration dubbed the "#Fees Must Fall" which started in South Africa but have since spread to Zimbabwe and other countries. The average salary for a school teacher in Zimbabwe currently stands at \$100 a month, and that low-income figure for a public servant leaves them with no disposable income to cater for school or college fees. The recent 500–1000% spike in tuition fees at University of Zimbabwe which resulted in flash student demonstrations in September 2022 is indicative of the extent of the problem that has been simmering on the ground. Students have been paying Z\$50,000 per semester, and the fees were increased to between ZW\$300,000 and ZW\$500, 000 or US\$930. However, Master's students were expected to pay ZW\$1 million in tuition following the increase. Clearly, those tuition fees are out of reach for most poor families in Zimbabwe. Similar trends in tuition increases have spread to other public institutions such as the Midlands State University, Great Zimbabwe University and National University of Science and Technology although these have been introduced against vehement resistance or displeasure from both

the students and the hard-pressed parents. Meanwhile, the average Unicaf tuition is pegged at US\$100 per module or US\$3000 per programme. Clearly, these fees are beyond the reach of many average Zimbabweans. The issue of affordable fees is a major challenge in the Zimbabwe's economy where majority of the workers are struggling with the highest inflation in the world which is eroding household incomes and making it difficult for students to afford university education.

#### *3.1.2 Low student enrolments rates*

The world has been facing what has been dubbed "the great enrolment cliff" or a major decline in enrolment numbers across both public and private Universities and Community Colleges. The onset of Covid-19 accelerated the rapid decline in student enrolments and made an already bad situation worse. In Zimbabwe, Universities have been grappling with falling student enrolment numbers for years a predicament that is in tune with global trends. Compared with its regional counterparts, Zimbabwe is lagging behind in tertiary student enrolment rates. According to the World Bank (2020) report, Zimbabwe's 8.5% tertiary enrolment rate lags behind that of regional leaders Botswana (23.4%), South Africa (20.5%) and Kenya (11.7%). In addition, drop-out rates are high and heavily correlated with the relatively high cost of tuition fees as the main cause or reason for dropping out of tertiary institutions. Similarly, the outbreak of Covid-19 has negatively affected enrolment rates at major universities worldwide. Although specific numbers for enrolment declines attributed to the pandemic are not available, anecdotal evidence shows that most students failed to attend classes at universities during Covid-19 era with international students being heavily and seriously impacted negatively.

#### *3.1.3 Negative publicity*

The local higher education regulator recently published a negative notice stating that Unicaf University Zimbabwe was not a registered institution and that it was not allowed to serve as a recruiting agent for foreign Universities. This fallout resulted in litigation with Unicaf University Zimbabwe contesting the intentions of the national regulator of placing the advertisement in press knowing fully well that Unicaf was in the process of applying for the renewal of its provisional registration license. Although an assessment of the damage has not been completed, some private partners withdrew from negotiations to establish MOUs with Unicaf without providing any clear reasons, and this could only be attributed or related to the negative effects arising from that public notice that was flighted in a local newspaper.

#### *3.1.4 Lack of political support*

Doing business in Africa is not only affected by the conditions or eligibility requirements that are set for future businesses or potential investors, most of which are clearly laid out. What is deeply disturbing is that political culture in most African countries including Zimbabwe makes it hard to conduct normal business depending on who you are taking to and how connected one is to the key political actors or levers of power in the land. Without the necessary political or social capital, meeting eligibility criterion may be necessary but insufficient to pave the way for successful completion of investment deals in an African country such as Zimbabwe. What is even more troubling is the fact that strings that are attached by these dubious political actors or people with

#### *The Perils and Promises of Private Higher Education in Zimbabwe: The Case of Developing… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109686*

influence are oftentimes invisible and what you experience are the negative outcomes or delays that cannot be explained rationally or attributed to the rules and regulations affecting doing business in given country or investing in particular economic sector. This borders on corruption, abuse of power and a tendency to indirectly demand bribes without clearly doing so as that is against the law or can be contested in a court of law. The ability to counter such nefarious practices by lobbying relevant key players could eventually result in securing the intended outcome which is often elusive given the information asymmetry associated with such conduct.

#### *3.1.5 Bureaucracy in institutional and academic programme accreditation*

Unicaf has been operating in Zimbabwe since 2018. Despite its lengthy presence in Zimbabwe where it is expected to establish its future hub for online teaching and learning in Southern Africa, the institution does not yet have accredited academic programmes and renewal of its registration license has been delayed unnecessarily. Bureaucratic wrangling between Unicaf and ZIMCHE appears as the main stumbling block in institutional and academic programmes accreditation. Although numerous communications have been exchanged between Unicaf University Zimbabwe and ZIMCHE, there has not been much progress in the past 4 years.

The bureaucratic tendencies have been manifested through delays in holding key inspection meetings, such as the physical facilities inspection visit that was originally slated for April but was eventually held on the 9th of September 2021. Although a report on the proceedings of the meeting was to be prepared by regulator and shared with the host institution, a year later no formal report was submitted or shared with Unicaf University. Another area that has suffered from bureaucratic wrangling is the delays in approval of eight (8) graduate programmes that were submitted for accreditation in December 2020. Almost 2 years later, the regulator has not formally responded to the institution regarding the status of these programmes. In addition, the Provisional Registration License of Unicaf University Zimbabwe was allowed to lapse in October 2019 despite numerous efforts to remind the regulator to renew this license before the expiry date. Similarly, bureaucratic delays were experienced in the form of lack of feedback on the University Charter that was submitted in 2021 and University organogram.

It appeared as if the Quality Assurance regulator was pursuing an agenda of 'strategic ambiguity' or in worst-case scenario 'strategic confusion' as there were cases when communications between Unicaf University and the local regulator were suspended pending outcome on legal actions that were being pursued by Unicaf University Zimbabwe as a game of last resort.

#### *3.1.6 Legal challenges in institutional accreditation*

Because of the frequent delays, suspensions in communication and inaction on key decisions, Unicaf University was left with no option but pursue the legal route during its pursuit of institutional accreditation. One of the major motivations for pursuing the legal route was the Public Notice that was flighted by the regulator in the local press warning Zimbabweans that Unicaf University was not registered by the local regulator. Although this seems to state the obvious as Unicaf University had applied for a renewal of its Provisional Registration License at the time, and in fact, its case was being heard by the Council, the regulator still went ahead in a move that was designed to tarnish the image and reputation of the institution. Although the

University did not win its case against the regulator after filing an Urgent Chamber application in the High Court for the regulator to withdraw the damaging Public Notice, the Judge felt that the case was not urgent since it was filed after 2 weeks of internal consultations among the leadership at Unicaf University. The Judge felt that the case between the two parties could be heard based on its merits.

The University felt aggrieved when the regulator allowed its Provisional Registration License to lapse and then proceeded to not renew this license yet requests for renewal were sent a long time back. Unicaf also appealed the decision on the grounds that the regulator took almost a year to conduct a physical inspection of facilities blaming the delay non Covid-19 despite a request for virtual assessment by the University. The bureaucratic tendencies or bungling by the local regulator birthed an acrimonious relationship with an institution with a noble mission and vision to service an under-served market by developing a state-of-the-art online teaching and learning by establishing a private, independent and pan-African university in Zimbabwe.

#### *3.1.7 Potential risk of lack of multicultural awareness among employees*

Unicaf University is a global institution with its students, staff and faculty drawn from more than 160 countries. There are now almost 40,000 students in the Unicaf University campus network. Not every employee of Unicaf has been exposed to international university culture, and therefore, this implies the need for Unicaf in its induction process to train its workers and students on the significance of multicultural awareness. Multicultural awareness is a core value for Unicaf University, and both employees and students are expected to model this behavior by creating a flourishing and diverse multicultural environment at the institution.

#### *3.1.8 Governance issues: conflict of interest in council membership*

Membership in ZIMCHE Council comprises current and former Vice-Chancellors of private and public universities among other scholars. This raises the problems of conflict of interest as Councilors are likely to prioritize their own institution through self-interest behavior and thus may exercise bias when voting on decisions or outcomes affecting the institution deemed as a competitor.

#### *3.1.9 Digital divide: low ICT penetration in Zimbabwe and Africa*

In rural areas and some urban towns, access to the Internet or *WiFi* remains intermittent. Yet in the knowledge society, digital access is not a nice to have, but it's a must have in the same league as utility such as electricity and water. Zimbabwe's Internet penetration is 30% while mobile penetration is above 90% in 2021. Affordability of gadgets such as computers and laptops also tends to interfere with access to quality online higher education. In order to circumvent this challenge, the Unicaf University provides a complimentary lap-top to all its registered students.

#### *3.1.10 Economic recession and high inflation*

Zimbabwe currently ranks among the top three nations in the world having a very high rate of inflation. The inflation rate in Zimbabwe was 285% (i.e. as of October 2022) and is currently 321% (i.e., as of November 2022), and this makes it difficult to conduct normal business while students often struggle with payment of their tuition fees under

#### *The Perils and Promises of Private Higher Education in Zimbabwe: The Case of Developing… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109686*

such hyper-inflationary situation. In such a scenario, students struggle to pay for accommodation, food and health insurance forcing them to drop out from the Universities. With majority of parents earning in Zimbabwe Dollars, the depreciation of the local currency against the United States dollar makes it more difficult for parents to afford to send their children to college. Recently, some public universities in Zimbabwe have faced waves of student demonstrations protesting against more than 100% hike is some colleges fees. Unicaf is better placed to weather this storm as it offers scholarships to its prospective students which help to ease the burden of high cost of tuition and other fees at the university.

#### *3.1.11 Lack of land to build university campus*

Unicaf University has not secured large tract of land on which to build a fledgling university campus in Zimbabwe. Such a development will signal to both the government and other key partners that Unicaf has a long-term intention to invest in Zimbabwe's higher education sector for the benefit of the local population and students that will be drawn from other SADC countries in the sub-region. Unicaf can easily implement the strategy currently being used by other relatively new universities that have bought land in surrounding areas of Harare given that it is both cheaper and easily accessible to the city centre in order to support the business activities of the university.

Given that Unicaf does not own land in Zimbabwe currently as its main campus is located in a rented space in Central Business District in Harare expansion plans which are predicated on successful institutional accreditation should entail securing vast tracts of land to build its own campus. Suffice to say the government views Universities that have invested in land favorably as it sends a clear signal to demonstrate long-term expansion and presence in a given country. Renting in Central Business District may not be sustainable especially as the University plans to grow its campus into a major hub for Southern Africa.

#### *3.1.12 Covid-19 outbreak*

The global pandemic has negatively affected the steady progress in the establishment of Unicaf University in Zimbabwe. Although developed nations have established technological infrastructure to support transition from face-to-face or brick-andmortar to e-learning and distance education, in contrast most developing countries are still underprepared for this transition [5]. For instance, the Unicaf University Zimbabwe which is trying to establish a state-of-the-art e-learning institution in Zimbabwe suffered a severe blow when it lost its founding Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor to Covid 19 in 2020. Even as the pandemic was ragging, a number of staff including two senior management contracted Covid-19 and were hospitalized. The University adopted a series of strategies including trainings on Covid-19 prevention, hand washing, sanitizing, fumigation of offices, the wearing University supplied masks, limiting visitors to campus and holding virtual meetings as ways to curb the spread of the pandemic at the Harare campus.

#### *3.1.13 Science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) deficiency*

In Zimbabwe, the National Skills Audit Report [3] of 2018 identified major gaps in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [6]. The deficiencies in STEM are manifested through an acute shortage of academic staff, laboratories and workshops and related specialized facilities to support teaching and learning in STEM programmes especially in the public Universities. Given that Unicaf University is a technology-centred institution, any shortages or deficits in technology skills which are relevant for driving e-learning and e-innovations have a direct negative impact on the future development and growth of the University. The challenge in terms of weak supply and demand for STEM at the national level requires close attention from not only policy-makers but those who are tasked to establish online and blended e-learning institutions which put information and communication technology (ICT) at the centre of their very survival as well as the ability to thrive in the long-term.

### **4. Conclusion**

Unicaf University is a pan-African, independent and internationally recognized institution with a network of campuses and Learning Centres situated in 12 different African countries. In Zimbabwe, Unicaf University was granted a license to operate a university in 2018 by Zimbabwe Investment Agency (ZIA). Unicaf University operates in partnership with highly reputable institutions in Europe and United States of America. These include University of East London, University of Liverpool John Moores and University of Suffolk. In the mainland of United States of America, Unicaf University has partnered with the University of California at Riverside.

Unicaf University is the first, private open and distance e-leaning institution to be established in Zimbabwe. Unicaf is currently situated in the Central Business District of Harare and has built a state-of- the-art-campus comprising a digital library, offices for senior management, lecture rooms, tutorial rooms, Auditorium, Call Centre and Walk-in Centre among other facilities. Despite building such modern facilities, the local regulatory authority has taken more than a year to approve the teaching and learning facilities. While some delays could be blamed on Covid-19, even after the peak period key decisions required to launch the use of these modern facilities remain outstanding or are still pending.

The entry of Unicaf University in Zimbabwe's higher education landscape is in direct alignment with and advancement of key observations and recommendation made by the World Bank report that the country's low level of tertiary enrolment coupled with the dominant position of public universities in tertiary sector and the government's limited budgetary resources point to the need for an expansion strategy based on "institutional differentiation" and "real competition." The pursuit of such a strategy would create an opportunity to tap into complementary benefits of various institution types (including private Open and Distance e-Learning) and educational modalities (online and blended learning) to create a flexible, adaptive and fit for purpose workforce.

Although the situation is not dire, there are still problems that are associated with navigating the treacherous accreditation of private, open and distance e-learning institutions in Zimbabwe and Africa in general. However, Unicaf University will continue to grow into an internationally reputable institution that is resilient, welcoming, multicultural and supportive of its students, faculty and staff as well as conducting its civic duty in relation to uplifting the livelihoods of the local communities that it serves.

The Unicaf University offers a relatively new alternative and innovative distance education model through a private university set up that helps to meet the growing demand for tertiary education and life-long learning programmes. Such a development adds to the much needed public good in terms of diversification of institutional *The Perils and Promises of Private Higher Education in Zimbabwe: The Case of Developing… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109686*

composition, thus complementing the traditional public universities. In addition, e-learning that is being provided by Unicaf model in its various campuses is a necessity even in times of Covid-19 pandemic induced shuts downs and lock downs. Further, the increasing role of private distance learning will help to ease the burden or pressure on government education budgetary resource in short to medium term.
