President Robert Mugabe has castigated plagiarism, saying if unchecked and undetected, it can corrode the quality of the country’s education systems.
His revelation comes nearly 30 years after Gen Constantino Chiwenga was exposed for bribing a junior officer into giving him solutions for a practical Intermediate Staff Course. It is alleged the he accepted a green coded paper with suggested solutions which are available only after the exam. Chiwenga was expelled from the course after refusing to name the Major who had given him the paper. He then went on to shoot himself through a shoulder in an attempt on his life and was admitted at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare.
Cde Mugabe was speaking today during the graduation of Joint Command and Staff Course number 28 at the Zimbabwe Staff College in Harare.
The training of intake of Staff Course 28 started with 55 officers, but as illustrated by what happens in the Parable of the Sower, some four officers fell by the wayside when they produced plagiarised work. In all academic circles, plagiarism is regarded as an academic crime, if left unchecked and undetected, plagiarism can corrode the quality of our education at all levels, especially in tertiary institutions,” said President Mugabe.
Meanwhile, President Mugabe has commended the important role the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) have continued to play in fostering and cementing military co-operation.
The president said since the staff college annually enrolls students from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia, such military training co-operation provides an opportunity for the cross fertilisation of ideas and experiences as well as development of mutual trust among forces of SADC countries.
Staff Course number 28 was made up of candidates from the Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Central Intelligence Organisation and SADC member countries.
