Each year, following the release of Zimbabwe’s Advanced Level examination results, the country enters a familiar period of heightened activity as universities compete to enrol successful students.
Yet this annual scramble underscores a deeper and long-standing structural concern within the higher education sector: the widespread duplication of academic programmes across state universities.
Instead of offering diverse and differentiated academic pathways, most public institutions continue to present almost identical portfolios, dominated by commerce, humanities, and social sciences.
Zimbabwe, indeed, boasts a commendable number of state-owned universities, reflecting government’s commitment to expanding education and human capital development.
However, a closer examination of these institutions reveals a concerning trend — homogeneity. Nearly every university now offers similar programmes irrespective of its founding mandate.
Even institutions originally established for highly-specialised purposes — such as science and technology, agriculture, engineering, or medical innovation — have gradually drifted toward general academic replication.
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This mission drift has contributed to a national university system characterised by uniformity rather than strategic differentiation, undermining its potential to drive innovation, industrialisation, and sector specific expertise.
Against this backdrop, this article examines the case for establishing and strengthening specialised universities in Zimbabwe. It argues that the country’s development agenda requires a decisive shift away from broad, generalist institutions toward a more focused, mandate driven higher education.
The current model of non-differentiated universities in Zimbabwe poses several structural and developmental challenges. Universities established for specific purposes have increasingly adopted non core disciplines. This weakens focus and confuses institutional identity.
Replication of similar degree programmes across universities results in inefficient use of limited national resources. When all universities chase similar academic offerings, the system fails to generate specialised research, patents, and innovations that drive national transformation.
The country continues to produce thousands of graduates in fields already oversupplied.
Internationally, countries such as Ukraine, China, and Germany have established specialised institutions, each serving as a hub of innovation in their domain. This approach allows for depth, expertise, and measurable impact on national economies.
Specialised universities serve as innovation anchors. When a university focuses on a defined niche, it develops deep expertise. Concentrated focus allows for world class mastery and leadership in a single field.
Governments and development partners are more willing to fund specialised institutions with clear mandates.
Industries seeking technological or agricultural solutions can easily identify and collaborate with the right institutions, and graduates from specialised institutions are better aligned with emerging global skill demands.
In a rapidly digitalising world, Zimbabwe urgently needs dedicated universities that lead in ICT, AI, and data sciences — areas that are reshaping industries, governance, and social life worldwide.
Similarly, a University of Agricultural Sciences could pioneer precision farming technologies and climate-smart solutions vital for food security.
The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development should ensure that universities remain faithful to their statutory mandates. Zimbabwe must conduct a national audit of university programmes to eliminate unnecessary replication and encourage strategic diversification across institutions.
Mwale writes in his personal capacity. — email: smwale2612@gmail.com/ cell and WhatsApp: +263773435974