The University of Zambia recently held a graduation ceremony for its Master of Spatial Planning degree, a landmark postgraduate planning programme established in 2013.
At the 2010 all-schools meeting of the Association of African Planning Schools (AAPS), delegates developed and approved a curricular framework as a basis to help formulate and enhance postgraduate planning educational programmes on the continent. The framework was developed as part of the AAPS ‘Revitalising Planning Education’ project, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation from 2008 to 2010. In 2011, the UNZA was approached with a view to applying the AAPS curriculum frame to help address the country’s need for new capacity and skills in spatial planning. This happened at a time when Zambia had embarked on formulating a new Urban and Regional Planning Act to reposition planning in the nation’s development agenda. Zambia passed this Act in September 2015, and the need for qualified planners to drive the nation’s new urban and regional planning agenda - including the imperatives of fighting poverty, reducing inequality, alleviating environmental degradation, and promoting sustainable development - at all scales had never been greater.
In October 2013, with the financial assistance of the Government of Zambia and AAPS, UNZA began to offer a Master of Spatial Planning programme based on the adapted AAPS curriculum framework. The first cohort of students came from both national and provincial planning departments. In 2016, the University graduated five students, all of them having since returned to their positions in government. Of the five 2016 graduates, two have been promoted to Director of Planning positions at both provincial and district levels.
As depicted in the pictures below, an additional 12 students graduated with their master’s degrees on 19 December 2017. Every year, the UNZA receives more applications for new enrolments in the programme than the established normal capacity of 18 students per enrolment.
The AAPS Secretariat and Steering Committee lend their warmest congratulations to UNZA staff for their fantastic achievements over the past four years.
