Measuring “Peace” In Universities: A Study on Zimbabwe's National University of Science and Technology

Abstract

Efforts to evaluate “peace” have been hampered by the difficulty of defining the term since many experts contest its definition. Despite these obstacles, much progress has been achieved in assessing “peace” in the international arena, but it is somewhat challenging to domesticate it. The Ministry of Higher Education in Zimbabwe has a standardised university curriculum used in all universities. Thus, roughly 80 percent of the content of the curriculum is the same. However, it is possible that in the future, “peace” experienced within a university, and not necessarily the courses it offers, can make the university more popular than others. A institution that is "calm" will likely attract more candidates. Thus, there is a possibility of quantifying “peace” within a university. This investigation was conducted at Zimbabwe's National University of Science and Technology.  Fifteen female and fifteen male college students participated in a focus group discussion. The group of students was asked to respond to the following question: Is it possible to quantify “peace” within a university, and if so, what indicators may be used? The responses of the participants were used for this study. This study seeks to develop a system for ranking universities on a “peace scale” ranging from 7 to 70.