Hundreds of University of Zimbabwe (UZ) graduates have expressed frustration over the institution’s failure to give them their academic certificates over a year after graduating.
Students who spoke to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200005977/uz-students-agonise-over-certificates">NewsDay</a> about the issue said failure to obtain their certificates has been hindering their chances of securing jobs.
Universities usually avail certificates to graduates on the day of graduation or a few days after the ceremony but some students who completed their degrees at UZ in December 2021 and June 2022 have not yet obtained their certificates.
UZ Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo conceded that the university has a backlog but was working on addressing the issue. He said:
<blockquote>
We changed the form of the certificate at the institution. The process of phasing out the old certificate took longer which resulted in a backlog of certificate issuance.
However, we are working to address the issue. Over the last semester break, we have been printing out the certificates which would be ready for collection soon.
The students know that and ought to bear with us. Students who have other particular issues with the issuance of academic documents know where their complaints [can] be addressed.
The university is always ready to address any challenges faced by the students.
</blockquote>
Affected UZ graduates appealed for government intervention and criticised the university for “taking them for granted”.

Pindula News

University Of Zimbabwe Has A Backlog Of Academic Certificates

In a move meant to eliminate the issuing of fake COVID-19 certificates, the Ministry of Health and Child Care has developed a barcoding system which is expected to start working this week.
The system will be connected to all laboratories at all the country’s ports of entry and it will be able to confirm the identity and results of every person who has tested for coronavirus instantaneously.
Director for Informatics in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Simukai Zizhou explained:
<blockquote>We have started with Robert Gabriel Mugabe Airport, where the system is already in use. We expect that by end of next week, all ports of entry will be online while all laboratories should also be able to feed the information into this database
We have now started working on it with the laboratories. We have used what we call the Laboratory Information Management System.
When a sample is sent to the lab, it is barcoded. It then speaks to the Electrical Health Records or IMPILO, which is the trademark for the Electronic Health Records.
Once it is connected to IMPILO, all ports of entry will be connected to it. So you can simply enter the barcode into our system for verification.</blockquote>
SADC Covid Testing (SCT) representative Martin Gondo, whose organisation is working in partnership with the Government, said:
<blockquote>When we are done with testing, we input all the results and information of the patient into the system, including their photo, and at the ports of entry, the code is scanned and all the details will come out.</blockquote>
Several people have been arrested in the past for selling bogus COVID-19 certificates while some laboratories have been accused of altering positive coronavirus test results.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/end-of-the-road-for-fake-covid-19-certificates" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Sunday Mail</a></h4>

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