Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The Association of University Teachers (AUT) at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has lambasted the institution’s administration, accusing it of compromising academic standards and endangering the future of students by forcing them to sit for exams without adequate teaching and learning.
In a statement released this week, the AUT condemned the university’s decision to press ahead with examinations despite severe teaching shortfalls, calling it a “travesty of academic standards” and “a clear indictment of the institution’s academic integrity.”
The lecturers claim that students are being made to cram entire modules into just one or two days of instruction, an approach they describe as a “mockery of the learning process” and a reflection of poor leadership. The statement reads:
The administration’s failure to attract qualified adjuncts in other faculties and departments is a testament to their failure to prioritise academic excellence.
According to the AUT, some departments and faculties have failed to attract suitably qualified part-time lecturers, leaving students with little or no proper instruction in key areas.
Despite this, exams are proceeding, fueling anger among students and academic staff alike.
The AUT also blasted the university management’s “arrogance and refusal to listen to reason,” arguing that the current situation is the result of a deep-seated disregard for student welfare and academic quality.
In recent days, students have begun protesting the exam policy, demanding that the administration postpone assessments until proper learning conditions are restored.
The AUT has declared its full support for the students’ actions, describing their protest as a “brave stand against this academic integrity crisis.”
“They are refusing to accept a substandard education, and they’re demanding that the administration take responsibility for its failures,” the AUT said, adding that it was time for the university’s top leadership to acknowledge its failures and take meaningful steps to restore confidence in the institution. The union said:
It’s time for the administration to acknowledge its failures and take steps to restore academic integrity. It is time for the administration to prioritise the welfare of students and lecturers.
“It’s time for the administration to listen to reason and work towards a resolution that benefits everyone, not just the interests of one man,” the AUT stated, in an apparent swipe at Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo’s leadership.
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