The Sunday News
Rumbidzai Mbewe
PLANS to implement the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for the Computer Society of Zimbabwe are at an advanced stage as the society strives to meet its 2012 Summer School resolutions.
The Continuous Professional Development programme is the holding factor in changing the society’s name, a resolution they have failed to meet for the past two years.
The change of name like in other African countries will reflect the convergence of technologies like the Computer Society of South Africa which changed its name three years ago. It was suggested that the CSZ be renamed ICT Institute of Zimbabwe.
In an interview, the CSZ president, Mr Gilford Hapanyengwi said they had not changed their name because it had to be directly joined with the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of their members which is yet to be pilot tested in 2015.
“The summer schools had a members only forum at which the issue of name change was discussed among other issues. As is standard practice, suggestions at meetings of this kind are referred to the annual general meeting, which is the binding meeting of issues of a constitution manner. The issue of name change was seen to be directly coupled with CPD which is now at its advanced stage, of implementation,” he said.
Mr Hapanyengwi said the Continuous Professional Development was very significant because it was the process that determines whether the name would be changed or not. He, however, said the change of name was not important compared to the activities of the society.
“The change of name is not important as what the society is doing. What the society is and should be concentrating on is its influence on the use of development of Information Communication and Technology (ICTs) in the country. I feel that the CSZ is making a real difference in influencing policy and ensuring proper use of ICTs for development,” he said.
However, CSZ immediate past president Mr Atwell Mukusha said the name change was important as it should reflect the current and future trends. The convergence of IT and Telecommunications means all professionals in those sectors merged. He said the name was important because it identified them to others but it did not define who and what they were and that many people in the country did not relate with the Computer Society anymore because the name did not communicate what they do.
“We need to change it so that we adapt to the current changes not because other countries are doing it. Changing it to a name that reflects what we do will make much sense,” he said.
The society has created groups and activities such as the training and retraining of practitioners in issues of ICT governance in organisations. They have also held monthly functions on ICT governance in Harare and Bulawayo.
“We now have some active Special Interest groups particularly at institutes of higher learning and we also have an active special interest group for women in ICTs.
The functions culminated in the hosting of Business School in mid year and a summer school at the end of the year,” said Mr Hapanyengwi.
A number of policy positions are going to come out of the proceedings of the summer school 2014 which was held in November. Mr Hapanyengwi said they were expecting to have actual products from summer school 2014 which was a result of the crowd sourced problem exercise that was undertaken at Summer school.
The Computer Society of Zimbabwe is a professional body of information technology industry players in the country focusing on education, professionalism and innovation of IT practitioners, founded in 1974.
