| Contact
Details
Contact Person : Mr. Evison Muti (Secretary) and Mr. Naran Kala
(Chairperson)
E-mail: college@speciss.co.zw
Fax: 737 640 or 791 418
Postal Address: : P O Box 2713, Harare
Description
The Zimbabwe National Association for Distance and Open Learning
(ZINADOL) was formed in July 1997 by a cross-section of stakeholders interested and
involved in Distance and Open Learning. Among the association’s aims and objectives
are to:
- Liaise with the government and local and international agencies in advancing Distance
and Open Learning;
- Collaborate and coordinate with persons at national, regional, and international level
who are engaged in the pursuit of Distance and Open Learning;
- Provide and promote a forum for interaction among users and providers of Distance and
Open Learning, and organizations with common goals; and
- Promote the use of media and technology to expand the opportunity for Distance and Open
Learning.
The president and the secretary are confident that, although the
organization is in its infancy, it has so far managed to achieve some of its objectives.
ZINADOL is considered to be an umbrella body that is needed to ensure
that distance education in Zimbabwe comes of age. It perceives itself to be blessed with
total government support, which culminated in government offering this organization a base
from which to operate.
Among its affiliates are: the Government Correspondence School, which
offers primary education, and the Zimbabwe Distance Education College (ZDECO), the Central
Africa Correspondence College, and the Rapid Results College all of which offer secondary
and post-secondary education. The Zimbabwe Open University has not yet become a member.
Affiliates already appreciate the formation of ZINADOL, and admire the fact that the
organization is already giving a platform to share their experiences as distance education
providers.
National and Institutional Policy
Although distance and open learning has been going on for a long time
in Zimbabwe, and the government has itself played an active role in the provision of
distance and open learning, ZINADOL is to some extent disempowered by the fact that there
is still no strong government policy on distance education. This makes it difficult for
distance education to get the recognition it deserves.
Enabling and Hindering Factors
The government, and members of ZINADOL’s strong belief in the
significance of distance education as a way of ensuring access to affordable,
gender-equitable education have been identified as the main enabling factors. It is
through these factors and the determination of the executive that the organization has
achieved some of its objectives and has succeeded in establishing good relationships with
organizations such as the Commonwealth of Learning and have also been represented in the
Planning Advisory Committee.
The major hindering factor has always been financial resources. These
have prevented members of the organization from focusing solely on the success of the
organization and carrying out its responsibilities fully. They are currently working
elsewhere to get income. For example, the chairperson and the secretary are principal of a
secondary school and director of a college respectively. The institutions that they head
are not even distance education providers. |
