School of Social Work 5 
School of Social Work 
Silver Jubilee 
1964-1989 
The School of Social Work, an associate college of the University of Zimbabwe, will 
be celebrating its silver jubilee this year. The School of Social Work was founded by 
the Jesuit Fathers in 1964 as a result of investigations by Fr Ted Rogers on the need 
for social work training in the country. Fr Rogers played a key role as the School's first 
Principal. 
The School of Social Work started by offering a one year course leading to the 
award of a Certificate in Groupwork, until 1966 when the Certificate course was 
abandoned in favour of a three-year Diploma in Social Work course. The need to train 
higher level manpower became apparent, and culminated in the introduction of a 
Bachelor of Social Work degree offered jointly by the School of Social Work and the 
then University of Rhodesia in 1975. The full range of programmes now on offer 
include the Certificate in Social Work, the Diploma in Social Work, the Bachelor of 
Social Work (General), the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) and the Master of 
Social Work. 
Because of its wide ranging programmes the School of Social Work is now serving 
as a regional social work training institution with students coming from such countries 
as Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and 
Swaziland. It is therefore with great pride that we look back at the achievements of the 
School since its humble beginnings in 1964, achievements made possible by the 
support of the Jesuit Fathers, the University of Zimbabwe, the Government of 
Zimbabwe, the resourcefulness of the School'spast Principals, Frs Ted Rogers and Joe 
Hampson, and the dedication of staff and students past and present. The achievements 
were also made possible with financial assistance from such organisations as the Beit 
Trust, the Sisters of Charity of Rome, Cebemo of Holland, Misereor of West Germany, 
the Konrad Adenaeur Foundation of West Germany, the Harare City Council, and 
many other organisations. 
As we celebrate our first 25 years of dedicated service in the field of social work 
training in Zimbabwe, we take cognisance of the challenge to provide a relevant social 
work education, and thus enable the School and the social work profession to play a 
meaningful role in the socioeconomic advancement of our people. Our silver jubilee 
is not merely a joyous occasion but an occasion to reflect on the relevance of our 
curricula and the appropriateness of our programme, and so chart a new direction and 
orientation. The launching of the Journal of Social Development in Africa, and the 
establishment of the Research Unit, present our resolve to promote social development 
issues and to contribute towards the formulation of appropriate social policies. 
Please join us in commemorating the School of Social Work's first 25 years of 
existence. 
Edwin Kaseke 
Principal