By Alice Mudzingwa
At least 34 students from 17 private and public tertiary institutions across Zimbabwe have gathered in Harare for the 8th edition of the Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) National Universities Quiz Challenge.
The prestigious two-day competition, which began today at the SAYWHAT offices in Hatfield, focuses on testing and strengthening students’ knowledge of government policies, national frameworks, and development strategies that affect young people’s education and well-being. The event is co-hosted with partners including UNESCO.
Speaking to journalists, SAYWHAT Advocacy Specialist Isabella Michael revealed that this year’s competition recorded the highest turnout since the tournament was launched in 2019.
“We started small with only 10 universities, grew to 12, then 16 last year, and this year we have 17 participating institutions, with Arrupe Jesuit University being the newest addition,” Michael said. “The competition is growing rapidly as institutions continue to see the immense impact of this platform on peer education.”
Michael said preparing for the quiz requires students to conduct extensive research, helping sharpen both their analytical skills and understanding of key national policy frameworks.
This year, participants are being tested on newly adopted legal and development frameworks, including the Cyber and Data Protection Regulations (2024), the Heritage-Based Curriculum (2024–2030), the Zimbabwe Multisectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Plan (2024–2030), the Model Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy for Higher Education, the National Gender Policy (2025), the National Youth Empowerment Strategy (2026–2030), and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
“The initiative seeks to strengthen students’ understanding of how global and regional commitments translate into national development priorities. It enhances their capacity to identify alignment, gaps, and opportunities across sectors affecting youth health and education,” Michael added.
The competition will conclude tomorrow with an awards ceremony. All participating students will receive certificates, while the overall winning institution will walk away with a trophy and the first and second runners-up will receive shields.
Individual prizes for the top three student teams include medals, alongside laptops for the winners, tablets for the first runners-up, and smartphones for the second runners-up.
Participants praised the tournament as an eye-opening initiative that has significantly broadened their civic awareness.
Divine Shonhiwa, a student representing the Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University (ZEGU), said the competition had been empowering.
“The quiz has helped me realise my rights and understand national policies currently being implemented in Zimbabwe that I previously did not know because of ignorance,” Shonhiwa said.
