UNHU/UBUNTU VALUES IN UNIVERSITY EDUCATION DURING COVID PERIOD: THE CASE OF A STATE UNIVERSITY IN ZIMBABWE.

Abstract

This study investigates Ubuntu virtues, which were apparently violated during the COVID -19 period at a state university in Zimbabwe. Specific Unhu/Ubuntu values and virtues were often compromised or even not observed at university during the COVID-19 period.
Unhu philosophy calls for equality through sharing in society and the education sector is no exception when it comes to sharing but with the coming of the COVID-19 pandemic, Unhu virtues were compromised, thereby JSADTU, Vol. 1, No. 1, August 2023 53 violating the principles of social justice which are the hallmark of Ubuntu philosophy in teacher education in universities. The study is informed by the Afrocentric theory and its methodological approach involves interviews with students and lecturers. On the basis of these interviews conducted with students and lecturers, the author argues that the COVID-19 period exposed those students who came from poor families as they could not raise the money to buy the necessary gadgets to enable them to learn using the Online platform. Findings of the study show that equality and moral uprightness, which are at the core of Ubuntu philosophy, were compromised
during the COVID-19 period at Great the university under study. The paper also discovered that COVID-19 affected the education sector in various ways as it brought in a lot of changes in the learning process. The study, thus, underscores that Ubuntu, which is central to African culture, was put to test by the coming of the COVID-19 virus and its major virtues were greatly compromised or to some extent ignored.