Suspended University of Zimbabwe Vice-chancellor, Professor Levy Nyagura has finally retired from his post after serving the higher learning institution for 16 years, the university announced.
Nyagura is currently under investigation for controversially awarding a Doctorate to former First Lady, Grace Mugabe.
Allegations are that sometime in 2011, Nyagura single-handedly accepted and approved an application for Mugabe to study for a PhD in sociology without the knowledge and recommendation of the departmental board and faculty of higher degrees committee in violation of UZ quality assurance, guidelines and benchmark.
It is alleged during the same period, Nyagura covertly appointed Claude Mararike and a Professor I. Chaneta to supervise Grace’s thesis without the knowledge and approval of the department board of sociology, who are mandated to accept the applications and allocate it to supervisors of students in terms of general academic regulations.
However, last week through his lawyers, Nyagura denied the allegations saying the blame on the conferring of the fake degree should be put on former President Robert Mugabe while arguing that vice-chancellors don’t have the responsibility to award degrees.
Professor Nyagura joined the University of Zimbabwe on 2 April 1979 as a lecturer In the Department of Curriculum and Arts Education, Faculty of Education.
Announcing the retirement, the chairman of the University of Zimbabwe Council, Dr Anxious Masuka said; “Professor Nyagura ably led and supervised some of the most challenging phases of UZ’s development, especially during the period 2006 to about 2012,”
