Do we really need 'A' Level

Writing on Bulawayo24 yesterday (June 12), a guy called Mcumbatha wrote a moving and steering piece concerning the recent list of students admitted to NUST showing that over 90% of them were of Shona stock. Indeed, Mcumbatha raised very good points, especially about how instead of developing our schools, government was butchering our people. This resulted in our region lagging behind in terms of especially 'A' Level schools. It is also well known our schools are heavily under-capacitated, moreso in terms of teaching science subjects. Whereas pre-independence we had some of the finest high schools in the country, today nothing of that sort can be said, and only Mugabe and his cabal know why. As they pointed out in their Grand Plan, the best way to arrest our development is to deny us an education.

But as I read Mcumbatha's piece, thoughts came running to my mind about debates I have held in the past on the subject of education in this country in general. One of the core areas hotly debated was: Do we really need 'A' Level as a university entry qualification? Or it is one of those elitist projects meant to prejudice thousands of our children who do not afford to go to 'A' Level for lack of resources? I asked myself these questions after noticing that many of our young people who are denied entry into Zimbabgwean universities go on to South African and American universities and are admitted for study using their 'O' Level, and they do excellently well, and today are some of the finest leaders of some of the greatest corporations in Africa. Even ZOU in Zimbabwe has Ordinary Level as an entry qualification. Not only so, many world-class and highly esteemed professional bodies such as CIMA and ACCA accept 'O' Level graduates and provide a bridging course. Why can't our universities do the same?

Perhaps for us here in Matabeleland, instead of complaining of lack of well resourced 'A' Level high schools, its time we demanded that all universities in our region start taking 'O' Level as a minimum entry requirement. To ensure the preparedness of our children we then invest heavily in pre-school, primary and secondary school education so as to produce very excellent 'O' Level graduates. For those who have been to university or seen first year university courses, they know the courses are way below 'A' Level in terms of intensity. What then is the point of studying something more difficult at 'A' Level, only to deal with less difficult material in first year university? We surely can demand that 'O' Level be the entry level qualification, and if they don't want the same in Mashonaland that is not our business or interest.

It is time NUST, LSU, MSU, and GSU served us. We don't care about their being named "state universities" whereas in Mashonaland universities are named in a way that reflects their regional purpose, these are still OURS! One finds in Mashonaland Bindura University of Science and Technology, Chinhoyi University of Technology, and yet coming to our region universities are named "state and/or national universities". Most of us obviously now know why.

I contend that we organize ourselves and demand that OUR universities accept good passes at 'O' Level as the entry-level qualification. Not only will we save time for students, but we will ensure thousands of our children have access to higher education and critical skills development necessary for the development of our region in particular and country in general.

Atimilikeni tjaba tjakanyikwedu. Tanyala notshambilidzigwa pasi tibudziwa nedzimwe njudzi dzipoga kuti titjile tjini. Ngwenu gwabe lubaka gwekuti mwe no mwe amilikile pehhugwi tihingile bana bedu. Akuna ungati sunungula tisazwisunungula.

Ndaboka imi zwangu n'Kalanga we Bulilima-mangwe unozwida noba n'Kalanga. Imi Tjibelu nkololo wakaMakulukusa, ndili nzekulu wabaLozwi nabaPeri.

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Ndzimu-unami Emmanuel can be contacted at ndzimuunami@gmail.com