INTRODUUCTION

The WUA ECD Centre was established and set up in 2014 at the then Mt Pleasant WUA campus with the blessing of the then Vice Chancellor Prof. Cynthia Hope Sadza. It is housed by the Continuing Education Department that falls under the Faculty of Social and Gender Transformative Sciences. Dr J. Magumise is the Chairman of Continuing Education Department while Dr I. Mafa is the Dean of the Faculty respectively. Mrs J. Musiyiwa is the head of the centre. The centre was set up to achieve the objectives below.

OBJECTIVES

The establishment of the WUA ECD Centre aimed to:

1. Create academic opportunities for WUA students especially females who would want to pursue their university studies but have challenges of securing baby minders;
2. Enable the WUA staff to work relaxedly while their children and grandchildren are taken care of at the centre;
3. Enable the community at large to engage in their income generating projects when their off spring are learning at the centre;
4. Create income cash flow for the University;  
5. Inspire ECD students at Certificate, Diploma, and Degree levels including their lecturers (full time and part time) to become entrepreneurs by starting their own personal ECD centres, thus implementing the Education 5.0 policy; and
6. Design an observation centre for ECD students under training.

The WUA ECD Centre started off with one girl child. At present the Centre has two classes namely ECD A (with 16 learners) and B (with 18 learners) manned by two teachers.

 The centre is also offering different activities to learners such Karate, Gymnastics and cookery. The activities are done once a week and parents are responsible for their payment. Once per school term the centre takes the learners out on an educational trip as required by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. The centre has a kombi that ferries children to and from the centre. Once per school term we hold a meeting with parents and teachers. The Centre has a school Development Committee responsible for fundraising activities for the centre. We also hold a consultation day once per school term. I am pleased to say that we had visits by lecturers from Bundura and ZOU universities who were referred to us by ZIMCHE to come and see our centre.

FUTURE ASPIRATIONS

We are very hopeful that our WUA ECD Centre is going to grow into a private Primary school as Prof Sadza used to say. Our first Grade One class starts in January 2024.