HOW I BECOME A DEMOGRAPHER: a Thread
My first disclaimer: I am a bit oldish, in Zim parlance, since 30 November 2020, I now proudly belong to the G50 group!
My first disclaimer: I am a bit oldish, in Zim parlance, since 30 November 2020, I now proudly belong to the G50 group!
Some struggle to let out their age, but its one thing a demographer always proudly does as sign of surviving a lot of worldly calamities, and as a Christian a blessing to be thankful to God!
I am a testimony of what the education system introduced at independence did in transforming households & individuals. I would certainly have had been educated to O Level, because 5 of my siblings had done so before independence! BUT I am not sure I would have gone to university!
Don't confuse admitting a fact to political support; the fact remains many of those in different political formations, in different professions today are, just as I am, beneficiaries of the famous Dzingai Mutumbuka- Fay Chung education system of the early 1980's
My father (turned 100 this Feb) was a mere my mother (may her soul rest in peace) was a peasant farmer, one of the best in our area, Chatikobo, Chief Murinye, Masvingo District, Masvingo Province!
They gave birth to 8 children, I am the fifth, 7 boys and one boy, used their combined incomes to educate all 8 kids to O Level, at boarding mission schools! First lesson; with hard work and focus you can achieve anything!
I had my Primary at Chatikobo, my O Level at Rudhanda High, and my A Level at Chibi High
I was always dreaming of becoming an accountant, inspired by my eldest brother, who was now working in a bank. I even applied for an accounting degree at NUST, which opened the year I entered University in 1991!
We were the first A level stream ever to have a bit of choice of which university to go to. Of course many of us got dissuaded to go to a new university with no known reputation. I chose to go to UZ!
I was supposed to read Sociology and Anthropology, but fortuitously changed degree programme during orientation, to study Social Work, scaringly first a 3 year professional diploma, then a 2 year Honours degree!
How did I change degree during orientation? Well I also didn't know it was possible. But I learnt (see next tweet) it was very possible, and many degree programmes during the 1990's were hardly ever fully subscribed!
Why did I change degree programme? Well I met someone who was so persuasively convincing and who I credit of creating a Demographer out of me!
His name Dr Kaseke, Head of the School of Social Work at the time who told me of this less known profession called Social Work, at that time a preserve of the whites!
What fascinated me at the time was how this profession helped real people solve real problems. Because of the passion I was one of the best students, getting University Book Prize every year of the 5 years of the programme, 3 years professional diploma and 2 years Honours degree!
In my last year Social Work (Hons), one day coming out of a lecture room, I accidentally bumped into someone, made her pile of papers scatter everywhere, apologised and helped her pick them up. We started chatting.....
I discovered it was Prof Marvelous Mhloyi, head of the newly established Centre for Population Studies. It was my first day to hear of a profession called Demography. Not only that she convinced me I would become a great demographer!
She told me how much I qualified to do a masters in Demography and Population at completing my honours degree, how this new programme was well sponsored by UNFPA, which at the time was helping to seed demography degrees across Africa!
She showed me the monthly non-taxed stipend each student was getting; it was equivalent to the net salary of a junior lecturer! Ended up by handing me an application form for post-graduate studies!
It took me 2 months thinking before completing the application form; a) abandoning a passion (social work) before even practising, b) another 2 years of learning (7 consecutive!) what would my parents say?
Well, I decided to apply for a masters in Demography, got admitted and here I am, a proud Demographer, thanks to Prof Marvelous Mhloyi, to whom I remain greatly indebted🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
uz.ac.zw/index.php/facu…
uz.ac.zw/index.php/facu…
END of Thread!
Next: Experience and Knowledge as a Demographer
Next: Experience and Knowledge as a Demographer
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