Shava GN*, Chasokela D and Mangena A

National University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology Education, Hillside Teachers College, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

*Corresponding Author: Shava GN, National University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology Education, Hillside Teachers College, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Received: November 16, 2023; Published: April 30, 2024

Abstract

Higher Education in Africa and the world over is characterized by expansion, resource scarcity, increased competition, accountability to more stakeholders and the growing complexity of knowledge. Higher education is widely acknowledged as a major strategic plan for human capital development and economic growth. In Zimbabwe higher education studies are no longer a luxury to students. Higher education studies have become inevitable for human resources planning and national economic development. The principles of basic education as a human right has been silently extended to higher education but this has faced multiple challenges in terms of access, equity and success. Universities in Zimbabwe have adopted policies that are in favor of widening and deepening access, equity and success as a means of redressing past colonial imbalances and seeking to provide for high-level skilled manpower required to enhance economic growth and also contributing to the required human capital development. Since the attainment of independence in Zimbabwe higher education sector has been making a significant contribution towards national development especially through the training of human resources required for economic development and growth. Issues of quality, relevance, funding, access, equity, success and gender are the major challenges faced by most higher learning institutions in Zimbabwe. It is against this background that this chapter seeks to. • Highlight major barriers to access, equity and success in postgraduate higher education institutions in Zimbabwe • Analyse strategies adopted in Zimbabwe to provide for access, equity and success in higher education. • Suggest possible measures to reduce these barriers.

Keywords: Access; Barriers; Equity; Higher Education; Success; Quality

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Citation

Citation: Shava GN. “Barriers to Access, Equity, Success and Inclusion to Higher Education, the Zimbabwean Context".Acta Scientific Computer Sciences 6.5 (2024): 31-38.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 Shava GN. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.