This chapter examines the efforts of Church-based universities in Zimbabwe to foster inclusivity by addressing historical and systemic discrimination related to race, gender, religion, class, intellectual diversity, and disability. I will begin by focusing on university education before independence, where there was only one university, namely, the University of Rhodesia, which was largely discriminatory along racial lines, with whites being the majority, and only 0.2% constituted black students. Following independence in 1980, the institution was renamed the University of Zimbabwe to provide equal opportunities for university education across different racial groups. While critiques highlight that pre-colonial university education was marked by exclusionary practices—including racism, socioeconomic disparities, gender inequity, and inadequate accessibility for persons with disabilities—this chapter explores how faith-based institutions actively work to create more inclusive academic environments compared to state universities. In the 1990s, there was a growth of Church-based universities in Zimbabwe, including Africa University (Methodist), Solusi University (Seventh-day Adventist), and the Catholic University of Zimbabwe (Roman Catholic Church). After the year 2000, Reformed Church University and Ezekiel Guti University were also established. However, evidence suggests that Church-affiliated universities face complex challenges in fully realising these inclusivity goals, sometimes inadvertently replicating or exacerbating the very disparities they seek to overcome. The chapter critically assesses the progress, contradictions, and opportunities for these institutions to model transformative inclusivity in higher education.

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Church-Based Universities in Zimbabwe and the Struggle for Inclusive Education

  • Ephraim Taurai Gwaravanda

摘要

This chapter examines the efforts of Church-based universities in Zimbabwe to foster inclusivity by addressing historical and systemic discrimination related to race, gender, religion, class, intellectual diversity, and disability. I will begin by focusing on university education before independence, where there was only one university, namely, the University of Rhodesia, which was largely discriminatory along racial lines, with whites being the majority, and only 0.2% constituted black students. Following independence in 1980, the institution was renamed the University of Zimbabwe to provide equal opportunities for university education across different racial groups. While critiques highlight that pre-colonial university education was marked by exclusionary practices—including racism, socioeconomic disparities, gender inequity, and inadequate accessibility for persons with disabilities—this chapter explores how faith-based institutions actively work to create more inclusive academic environments compared to state universities. In the 1990s, there was a growth of Church-based universities in Zimbabwe, including Africa University (Methodist), Solusi University (Seventh-day Adventist), and the Catholic University of Zimbabwe (Roman Catholic Church). After the year 2000, Reformed Church University and Ezekiel Guti University were also established. However, evidence suggests that Church-affiliated universities face complex challenges in fully realising these inclusivity goals, sometimes inadvertently replicating or exacerbating the very disparities they seek to overcome. The chapter critically assesses the progress, contradictions, and opportunities for these institutions to model transformative inclusivity in higher education.