Dr. Rosemary Nyarugwe, President of the Nyadire College of Education in Zimbabwe, President of the Africa Association of Methodist Institutions of Higher Education (AAMIHE), and member of the Africa Methodist Council (AMC) passed away on Monday, June 22, 2026, after a short illness.
Dr. Rosemary Nyarugwe (Photo: Kimberly Lord)
Dr. Nyarugwe received her Bachelor’s degree in Administration and Policy Studies from the University of Zimbabwe, her Master’s in Teacher Education from the same institution, and her PhD from the Bindura University of Science Education in South Africa. She had an extensive academic background and was an expert on educational administration, planning, and policy. Her doctoral dissertation was on “Perceived effects of corporate governance practices on effective institutional management in church-run teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe” and in various publications she also insisted on the role of women in education in Africa. She served as a leader at various educational levels. She was a teacher at Shiriyedenga Primary School and then taught at Glen Norah High School in Harare, Zimbabwe. She served as Principal Lecture on Education at Seke Teachers’ College between 2001 and 2008 and, thereafter, she moved to Nyadire Teachers’ College in Mutoko, Zimbabwe, where she was appointed as Acting Principal in 2010 and became the college Principal (President) in 2012. In this capacity, she directed human resources, promoted the construction of new infrastructure, and led the development of her institution in terms of campus expansion, new academic programs, partnerships, and relationship to Methodism. In 2023 she was elected as the first woman President of the Africa Association of Methodist Institutions of Higher Education (AAMIHE).
Dr. Nyarugwe was an active participant in the international conferences and the Board of Directors meetings of the International Association of Methodist Schools, College, and Universities (IAMSCU) and she had been working to increase the partnership between IAMSCU and AAMIHE. She attended several IAMSCU Conferences, including the gathering held in England in 2023. She then presented a challenge to IAMSCU, inviting the association to plan its next international conference in Africa. As a result, the IAMSCU Board of Directors attended the Joint Conference of the Africa Association of Methodist Institutions of Higher Education (AAMIHE) and the Africa Association of United Methodist Theological Institutions (AAUMTI) in South Africa in 2025. This led to the installation of a committee to work on preparing a future event in Africa.
Dr. Rosemary Nyarugwe will be deeply missed not only as a great Methodist educator and leader in Africa, but also as family member, mother, and grandmother. Amidst all the sadness, IAMSCU celebrates her life, legacy, and lasting impact on the lives of students, faculty, communities, and networks with whom she worked. IAMSCU expresses its deepest condolences to his family and community.