The Sunday News
Noble Ncube, Business Reporter
THE Ministry of Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development is working with other Government departments to ensure that the STEM drive can also help small to medium enterprise through provision of technological tips and research from students studying science subjects.
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and is among Government’s top programmes which has seen students studying the subjects at A-Level having their school fees paid for.
The idea is to engage the students and equip them with critical thinking, problem solving, creative and collaborative skills, and ultimately establish connections between the school, work place, community and the global economy.
This, said Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni, can be tapped to help the growth of the SMEs sector in the country.
“We are working with other ministries to ensure the STEM initiative becomes a national success. STEM can also be helpful to SMEs. We are working with them to provide us with technological improved machines and other methods that require scientific research. We have to work together because these students will be taught skills which they will use to create employment and grow their businesses,” she said.
Addressing the issue of including school-going children into formal business, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Mrs Evelyn Ndlovu said they were working from grassroots level to create financial and economic development.
“As for the grassroots level we are working with development partners to train our people so that they finance their businesses. We want to create employment at grassroots level. We are aiming at making livelihood projects at village level sustainable. We want to develop industry at source of the raw material,” said Mrs Ndlovu.
In his presentation at the scholastic expo for high school students at the ZITF hall two, Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister Dr Godfrey Gandawa said there was a huge gap in manufacturing technology in the country.
He said there was a need to transform SMEs to international standards.
“There is a gap in manufacturing technology. We need to allow certain industries to die to pave way for technology because it is taking over. Here in Zimbabwe we have not properly organised our informal traders and SMEs. We need to help them take advantage of technology. We need to start paying through cashless systems.
“With this STEM initiative, we are going to transform the country. With the internet era we will transform everything.
We are telling our institutions that they need to up their game. We need to develop a new graduate that is technologically smart,” said Dr Gandawa.
Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund chief executive officer Mr Fredrick Mandizvidza said while it was imperative to engage in partnerships with other players it was also important to fund the STEM initiative so that it covers all levels of education from primary to tertiary.
“As we are working on engaging in partnerships with other players in the industry, we are looking at creating opportunities whereby SMEs also contribute to the fund. We are saying we want more funds so that we can push these students up until they graduate at universities. The SMEs can also help with business and economic development of the graduates,” he said.
Zimdef availed $4 million to sponsor STEM students. To date there are 4 199 students under the scheme with
2 770 being males and 1 429 being females. Dr Gandawa also encouraged girls to be competitive because sciences were not reserved for boys only.
