The Sunday News
Sandra Tekere, Sunday News Reporter
MORE than 16 000 graduates have applied for employment in African countries since August of last year, a Deputy Minister has said.
In an interview, Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister Dr Godfrey Gandawa said following an advert flighted by the Ministry in the Press recently more than 16 000 graduates from universities, polytechnics and colleges all over Zimbabwe have responded with more applications still flowing.
He said forms were being downloaded and graduates’ names being added to the data base although none have been actually exported to the different countries.
“The response from the invited graduates is still overwhelming and after a year, 16 000 have shown interest. They have been added to the database and many African countries are still expressing interest in recruiting local graduates,” he said.
With Zimbabwean graduates being sought all over the world many African countries will benefit as Zimbabwe has the highest literacy level in Africa.
Exporting graduates is not a new phenomenon. Worldwide countries like Cuba make money from exporting health staff to other countries. Recently, the Namibian Ministry of Education made a call for teachers from the Sadc region and Zimbabwean teachers seized the opportunity.
Dr Gandawa said people must stop being skeptical about labour exports, instead, he said they have to continue applying as the policy would see the country getting financial benefits. The policy is being facilitated by the Government, human export and policy in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Social Welfare and Civil Service Commission. They have created a database that includes people who graduated from the country’s tertiary institutions and those who trained abroad since 1980.
With thousands of graduates being produced in Zimbabwe every year, the labour exportation is expected to help fellow African countries like Namibia, South Sudan and other countries that need professionals like teachers, nurses and pharmacists who could not be absorbed by the Government due to a constrained fiscal space in Zimbabwe and as a result it might help the country to stabilise economically as it will reduce the unemployment rate.
