Quality dilemmas in Higher Education in Zimbabwe: qualitative perspectives

Abstract

This study analysed the systemic challenges undermining the quality of higher education in Zimbabwe, tracing their roots to colonial legacies, post-independence policy shifts, and persistent socio-economic instability. Despite ambitious frameworks like Education 5.0, resource constraints and political-economic crises have created a paradox where institutional goals outpace practical capacity. Using the Social-Ecological Systems Theory, the research adopted a qualitative, interpretive approach, engaging 30 academic staff and students across five universities through interviews, focus groups, and observations. Findings reveal severe staff demotivation driven by plummeting salaries, unrealistic promotion criteria, inadequate research funding, and deteriorating collegiality, perpetuating declining educational standards. These challenges reflect more profound structural failures, including misaligned policies and underfunded infrastructures, which collectively sustain quality dilemmas. The study advocates for transformative interventions to rebuild supportive academic ecosystems, emphasising equitable resource allocation, fair incentive systems, and collaborative governance to institutionalise quality assurance. By linking macro-historical factors to micro-level experiences at the institutional level, the research contributes to theoretical debates on educational quality in crisis contexts. It offers practical insights for policymakers seeking to reconcile Zimbabwe’s higher education aspirations with its fragmented realities.