In 2021, I had the opportunity to lead the designing of a BSc Honours Degree in Rural Development, which the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education recently approved and is now on offer at Great Zimbabwe University (GZU), the University of Choice! Now that the 2022 Advanced level results are out, I would like to share the reasons to consider the GZU Rural Development degree programme if you are on a mission to contribute meaningfully to changing lives in rural areas. The reasons proffered are also applicable to individuals of at least 25 years of age, with a minimum of 5 Ordinary levels (including English Language) and proven work experience in the area of development or humanitarian but without Advanced level qualifications, who wish to improve their knowledge and skills by attaining a university degree. Such individuals can enroll for this degree programme through the mature entry process.

The degree is intended for individuals passionate about improving the quality of life in rural areas: The quality of life in rural areas is an area of great concern. Globally, most people in rural areas live in poverty, as shared here and here. In Zimbabwe, in particular, poverty is a predominantly rural phenomenon, as I shared in a blog post here. If helping the rural poor is your heart’s desire, and you firmly believe in the possibility of eradicating (rural) poverty, then the GZU Rural Development degree is the one for you!

The degree is the product of input from development or humanitarian academics and practitioners with vast experience in Africa, Asia and Europe. It benefited immensely from the invaluable insights of  Professor Ian Scoones, who is based at the Institute of Development Studies, at the University of Sussex and has extensive experience in rural development in different countries, including Zimbabwe. He has published around 30 academic books and over 100 scholarly articles on rural development issues and has an active and widely read blog – Zimbabweland. Researchers and lecturers from the University of Zimbabwe and GZU were also instrumental in designing this degree programme. Where the practical aspects are concerned, the programme benefited from the views and experiences of   Admire  Nyereyemhuka, John Mokwetsi and Norman Maoneni. Admire Nyereyemhuka has over a decade of experience designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating humanitarian and development programmes funded by notable donors such as DFID and USAID. His experience involves working for international development or humanitarian organisations like UNICEF, UNOPS, ActionAid, Catholic Relief Services and Mercy Corps in Bangladesh, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. John Mokwetsi, a multiple award-winning Digital Media Enthusiast, has vast experience working on human interest stories, covering emergencies, poverty, education, sanitation, health and the environment. He has worked for organisations such as Hivos and Alpha Media Holdings, and is currently the Digital Communication Officer at UNICEF Zimbabwe. Last, but certainly not least, Norman Maoneni is a seasoned Rural and Urban Planner with rich knowledge of and sound skills in rural development planning. He currently works as the Development Planner for Chivhu Rural District.

The programme is interdisciplinary: Life has many shades. For this reason, as we explained in an article here, quality of life is multidimensional and complex. Thus, if you are to be effective in improving the lives of rural people, you need to have knowledge and skills drawn from different disciplines. The GZU Rural Development degree programme spares you the trouble of enrolling for multiple degrees and ‘short courses’ to be more effective in helping rural people. So, the programme is a ‘one-stop shop’ as it draws concepts from disciplines such as agriculture, economics, sociology, information and technology, environmental studies, humanitarian field, development planning and policy studies. It therefore has modules that focus on rural society, rural economy, rural poverty (conceptualisation of poverty, development of poverty graduation models and measurement of poverty), sustainable rural livelihoods, agricultural development, the environment, climate change, disaster management, development planning, development policy and practice, information and technology, GIS and Remote Sensing Application, public health, project planning and management, Impact Evaluation/ M&E, measurement of rural development ( development and use of Rural Development Index, measure of rural economic growth (GDP), Human Development Index, Well-being Index, Quality of Life Index and Happiness Index), participatory methods and techniques, fundamentals of humanitarian action, financing rural development and many more. In short, this degree programme equips students with the broad and in-depth knowledge, combination of skills and rich experience required to help rural people in meaningful ways!

It places emphasis on research and innovations in that students will be not only consumers but also producers of knowledge. The programme therefore affords the students the opportunity to conduct academic research on rural development issues under the supervision of experienced researchers and publish articles in the School of Social Sciences’ Humanities Southern Africa Journal or any other relevant scholarly journals. In addition, the programme challenges students to be inventive, creating processes, models, porotypes and tools that lead to rural poverty reduction or the improvement of rural quality of life, growth of rural economies, cleaner rural environments, better response to disasters etc. The students will be mentored by researchers and will make use of the services of the University’s Research and Innovation Department.  

Employment opportunities: you can seek employment in organisations (local and international NGOs, governments, international development institutions, consulting firms or private companies) that are concerned with improving the quality of life in rural areas. You could also be an independent consultant!

It was a great pleasure being part of the team that designed this degree programme. I wish nothing but the best for those who will consider registering for the programme in response to the call to improve the quality of life in rural areas!