News / National
'Grace Mugabe PhD trashes UZ credibility,' says Makoni
23 Sep 2014 at 02:12hrs | Views
GRACE Mugabe's "doctorate" remains a hot joke in Harare since her husband, President Robert Mugabe, chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), awarded her a PhD recently.
Former finance minister Tendai Biti had a Harare crowd debating the current economic crisis rocking with laughter with jokes about Grace's so-called doctorate, as information from the university leaked out that she was not registered for study until a few weeks ago, had no external examiner, and the university council had not scrutinised her academic performance.
"I want to state publicly that I will never ever have a PhD for obvious reasons. You know what happened," Biti said to roars of laughter from the audience.
Well-known academic Ibbo Mandaza said Grace's PhD would damage the university's reputation, academics and alumni.
"It's less about the graduate herself and more about the university's reputation which is under scrutiny and at stake," Mandaza told journalists last week. "The issue must be explained by the university in detail."
Grace was deregistered by the University of London, where she was studying for a bachelor of arts (English) degree after failing most of her exams in 2004.
Insiders at the University of Zimbabwe say several deans and senior lecturers say they will engage the university council for an explanation on how the First Lady achieved her PhD.
"We have checked university, department and faculty records from registration, the academic committee, research and attendant issues like supervision, both internal and external and exam processes; there are so many gaps and question marks.
"It seems procedures were not followed and this is an indictment on her and the university itself," a senior academic from the University of Zimbabwe said.
A senior lecturer said: "We want an inquiry into this issue because it's not about Grace but the UZ, its leadership and the education system in Zimbabwe. It seems this is an academic scandal of monumental proportions."
Simba Makoni, a successful farmer and former long-serving senior Zanu PF member until he quit the party in 2008, said on Friday: "I feel sorry for the University of Zimbabwe dragging its name into the mud and trashing its credibility as a place of excellence."
Makoni has a PhD in chemistry from the University of Leicester.
The UZ follows the British system for PhDs, which requires a student to do extensive research on a single project, under the guidance and supervision of an academic who is an expert in the field.
A dissertation, of usually 100 000 words, must be presented at the end of three years of an academic period.
The university declined to answer all questions sent to it last week about Grace's "doctorate", which was awarded through the sociology department.
Former finance minister Tendai Biti had a Harare crowd debating the current economic crisis rocking with laughter with jokes about Grace's so-called doctorate, as information from the university leaked out that she was not registered for study until a few weeks ago, had no external examiner, and the university council had not scrutinised her academic performance.
"I want to state publicly that I will never ever have a PhD for obvious reasons. You know what happened," Biti said to roars of laughter from the audience.
Well-known academic Ibbo Mandaza said Grace's PhD would damage the university's reputation, academics and alumni.
"It's less about the graduate herself and more about the university's reputation which is under scrutiny and at stake," Mandaza told journalists last week. "The issue must be explained by the university in detail."
Grace was deregistered by the University of London, where she was studying for a bachelor of arts (English) degree after failing most of her exams in 2004.
Insiders at the University of Zimbabwe say several deans and senior lecturers say they will engage the university council for an explanation on how the First Lady achieved her PhD.
"It seems procedures were not followed and this is an indictment on her and the university itself," a senior academic from the University of Zimbabwe said.
A senior lecturer said: "We want an inquiry into this issue because it's not about Grace but the UZ, its leadership and the education system in Zimbabwe. It seems this is an academic scandal of monumental proportions."
Simba Makoni, a successful farmer and former long-serving senior Zanu PF member until he quit the party in 2008, said on Friday: "I feel sorry for the University of Zimbabwe dragging its name into the mud and trashing its credibility as a place of excellence."
Makoni has a PhD in chemistry from the University of Leicester.
The UZ follows the British system for PhDs, which requires a student to do extensive research on a single project, under the guidance and supervision of an academic who is an expert in the field.
A dissertation, of usually 100 000 words, must be presented at the end of three years of an academic period.
The university declined to answer all questions sent to it last week about Grace's "doctorate", which was awarded through the sociology department.
Source - Independent Foreign Service.
