The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Management cde F.D.C Nhema is optimistic that Mushandike College of Wildlife Management in Masvingo will one day be turned into a university or at least a compus of an existing university.Cde Nhema was speaking at a graduation ceremony at the institution which was marking the 4th graduation ceremony since reopening in 2004.
Cde Nhema said the reason behind re-opening the college was and still is, to equip Parks and Wildlife Management Authority on behalf of the nation, with highly skilled graduates who are able to effectively discharge the organization's conservation mandate.

The breath and depth of the subjects offered here at Mushandike College is a reflection of the diversity of challenges faced by the Authority as it converts its needs into training programmes. I am informed that your curriculum covered subjects such as Wildlife Management, Community Based Natural Resources Management and Law Enforcement at various levels. This was all done to ensure that you are adequately equipped to address various challenges at the workplace cde Nhema said.

He stressed that effective protection of wildlife goes well beyond the use of the gun and patrols in the bush but relies also on your ability to engage local communities in wildlife management issues. Stressing that issues of community participation in wildlife need no emphasis as it has been proven that their involvement in planning and decision making remarkably reduces human wildlife conflicts.

The Minister challenged graduands and the authority's senior management to continue looking for ways of raising revenue and cutting costs without compromising conservation. This he said was critical therefore, critical. He admitted that the Ministry was well that the authority was under-equipped to effectively carry out you operational duties, but reminded both graduands and Parks and Wildlife Management Authority senior management not to stop from doing their best to protect the country's wildlife resource which is now under great threat.

"As officers your responsibilities go beyond just protecting flora and fauna but also as I said earlier engaging the generality of the Zimbabwean populace in matters of conservation. My Ministry and the Board place the hope of revolutionizing conservation practices through the skills and knowledge you acquired during training. I sincerely would like to encourage the college to be innovative and resourceful in terms of resource mobilization as well as providing modern day conservation practices to mitigate against the wanton destruction of our wildlife and environmental resources" he said.

The graduation ceremony was attended by chief Bere,Parks and Wildlife Management Authority Board members, The authority's Director General Mr. Vitalis Chadenga ,its senior management relatives and friends.