Zou please get your act together

Columnists
THE Zimbabwe Open University (Zou) is a crucial institution in that it affords many –– especially those already employed –– the chance to further their careers through its various and expanding degree programmes.

THE Zimbabwe Open University (Zou) is a crucial institution in that it affords many –– especially those already employed –– the chance to further their careers through its various and expanding degree programmes.

However, as a student with the institution, I am appalled at some of its shortcomings as regards providing students with study materials.

Last year students were expected to buy their modules when they registered, and were only provided with DVDs containing electronic versions of the modules. Those who could were then supposed to print the modules so that they could have hard copies.

What a disaster the move proved!  The electronic versions were fraught with irritating errors on just about every page, and to cap it all some pages were missing altogether! All in all, it was an amateurish production that did little to enhance the profile of the institution.

The DVDs were thankfully abandoned last semester, and students were assured they would get their modules in hard copy upon registration. But crickey, the institution failed to print sufficient copies such that many students went the entire semester without getting even a single copy.

Despite assurances we have the same problem this semester. After registering I only got one module despite the fact that I am doing four subjects.

How we are expected to do our assignments and prepare for exams is a mystery. To compound matters, the Zou library is virtually empty as far as useful books are concerned.

Please Zou, get your act together or the standards you have set will plummet.Unhappy Student,Harare.