Remembering an educationist, politician
DR SIKHANYISO Ndlovu passed away on the 15th of September, 2015 and at that point we had been married for 54 years. We had just celebrated our 54th year anniversary on the 2nd of September, before he was taken in ill on the 9th.
As a husband and father he was very loving and supportive. He did not only consider what he wanted, but what was good for the family.
Even educationally when we went to the US, he had a scholarship and I didn’t but he made sure that we both secured scholarships and I subsequently got something so that I could also advance my education.
So, between the two of us during the 20 years we spent in the US, we both earned three degrees apiece - a BSc, a Master’s degree and a PhD.
We were blessed with four children three boys and one girl - sadly our eldest son passed away before my husband.
My husband’s interests were in two areas - he was in to politics and he was in to education.
The two things were harmonious and there was no conflict in advancing educational issues as well as advancing political issues.
Even when he was restricted at Gonakudzingwa, he started a school there because there were a lot of young people who had left school early.
He started a teaching programme for general education and secretarial courses and the Commonwealth at that time supported him with typewriters and study materials.
Even when we came back from the US after independence, he was still involved in politics but at the same time involved in education.
That is the time he established the Zimbabwe Distance Education College.
At that time in the 1980s, very few people here knew about distance education.
In fact, people used to ask what distance education was and some even used to call it long distance education because the concept was quite new.
But subsequently, people adapted to the concept that one didn’t always need to be in the class and have face to face interaction with the teacher; and that even adults could participate.
He initiated the concept before other institutions such as the Zimbabwe Open University opened.
As an educator he was also involved in army education, he was chairperson of the army schools.
He did a lot to get those army schools supported. In fact, when he was admitted into hospital on a Sunday; the previous day he had officiated at a function for army schools in Bulawayo.
So I always think he must have passed on quite happy because the last activity he did for the nation was related to promoting education and supporting education activities.
Legacy
Dr Ndlovu taught people that, as they say in Ndebele, “Ukufunda akupheli”.
And that education is an effective instrument for development and therefore as much as possible it should be made accessible to all the people because an educated nation is a nation that is able to develop.
Politically, his activities were focused on working together, developing each person and self-reliance of families, communities and the nation.
His vision was that in order for the country to develop, move forward and provide equal opportunities. That all citizens need to be united because when people are united they focus on their constructive purpose, whereas if they are divided they focus on pulling each other down.
So, his vision was where there is unity there will be progress and where there is progress there will be development. He had ambitious plans to advance education, he had actually developed a charter for the University Without Walls and I don’t know if I can say this is the one thing he didn’t achieve.
But he worked a lot with ZOU during its establishment, he worked a lot with the late Vice Chancellor Dr Primrose Kurasha in the development of that university.
So, the concept of the University Without Walls that he had was that education does not always need to be behind any walls.
Traditionally, you had to go to university and physically be there for the entire semester to acquire a university degree but his vision was that open and distance learning could change that; and it did.