Research and development in Zimbabwe's higher education sector : the case of Midlands State University sexual maturation research project

Universities, for a very long time, were viewed as citadels of knowledge but they remained remote and barely relevant to the man or woman in the street. The academics who work at universities are immensely talented and intelligent but remain abstract. This paper aims to discuss the research activities carried out by academics at the Midlands State University in an effort to enhance the quality of people’s lives. The paper explains in detail how the University Research Team addressed problems associated with sexual maturation processes. Through a research project code-named Femshuleni, the research team, successfully improved the management of sexual maturation process and related problems amongst schoolboys and girls in the Midlands province. In conclusion, the University is hailed for creating knowledge that is relevant to the development of Zimbabwe