Zimbabwe higher education institutions’ preparedness in responding to Covid-19 induced disruptions to education

Abstract

This paper explores the preparedness of Zimbabwe’s Higher and Tertiary Education institutions and their response to the disruptions to teaching and learning caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic affected the education sector worldwide with billions of students being forced to operate from home after their respective governments declared lockdowns. Social measures were adopted to protect learners and lecturers from the spread of the virus. Alternative modalities and strategies of teaching and learning were adopted in order to prevent learning losses to students during the lockdown period. The qualitative phenomenological design was employed to describe experiences that most Zimbabwean institutions of higher learning went through during the Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown. Purposive sampling was employed to select twenty-eight participants from three conveniently selected higher learning institutions in Masvingo Province. Nine participants each from each institution and one participant from the parent Ministry were involved. Data were collected using questionnaires and interview guides sent through e-mail. The findings indicate that the Ministry, as reflected in its institutions, was ill-prepared for e-learning, notwithstanding the learning that took place virtually during the lockdown. The research concludes that the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development (MHTESTD), Zimbabwe should not only encourage its institutions but capacitate them to embrace technology in teaching and learning. To ensure quality education, it is recommended that the Ministry should strengthen the academic, technological and psychological support for lecturers and students as they struggle to adjust to virtual teaching and learning.