Speaking at WUA's eighth graduation ceremony in Harare on Friday, the university's Vice Chancellor, Hope Sadza, said progress towards the construction of the main campus had been slowed down due to lack of funding.
"We are a private university and we rely mainly on student's tuition fees and charges. The money collected is not enough for both operational and capital expenditure," she said.
She added that the university was in need of more land to expand the Harare campus which was currently accommodating 2 795 non-resident students.
"We need to build the Harare campus which will constitute 40 percent of our students when the main campus in Marondera finally becomes operational. We will continue pushing the government for the allocation of land," she said.
The institution's Chairperson of Council, Lynn Mukonoweshuro, said there was need to accelerate efforts aimed at constructing the main campus so as to bring down rentals costs.
Despite the challenges faced by the university, Sadza said WUA had made great strides in academically empowering women, regardless of age and cultural backgrounds.
"It is never too late to learn. We will continue to educate mature women who have been sidelined from tertiary education by social and cultural constraints.
"Women who have graduated today should go out there and transform the country by claiming influential positions in various organisations," said Sadza.
More than 500 graduates from the WUA were conferred with degrees drawn from the faculties of Agriculture, Management and Entrepreneurial Development Studies, Information Technology, Psychology, Social Sciences and Gender Studies.
Among those receiving degrees was popular gospel artist, Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave who attained a degree in Sociology and Gender Development Studies.
Sadza said the university had transformed over the past years by linking and collaborating with international university.
"We managed to collaborate with international universities and have already signed a Memoranda of Understanding with the South Korea and Indonesia Universities. This shows that our presence is being felt throughout the continent," she said.
Post published in: News