The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu Senior Reporter
VICE-PRESIDENT Phelekezela Mphoko has commended the church and the education system for complementing Government efforts and policies in skills development by producing entrepreneurs’ rather than job seekers. In a speech read on his behalf by the principal director in the VP’s office, Dr Themba Ndlovu, at a graduation ceremony at Ebenezer agricultural training institution, the VP said the country needed support structures like the church that assist.
“The school equips young people mostly in rural Zimbabwe with practical skills needed to run their own small-scale agricultural businesses and the spiritual maturity to be able to live Christ-centred lives within their communities,” he said.
He said such initiatives resonated with Government policies as Government had always emphasised education with production.
VP Mphoko said the President established the Ministry of State for Liaising On Psychomotor Activities in Education in order to ensure that the education system produces graduates with practical skills that enable them to be job creators as compared to being job seekers.
He said the education sector had been carrying out curriculum review for the education system to be more skills-based rather than theoretical.
“The Bible talks about dignity in labour,” he said.
VP Mphoko said it was gratifying that the institution was carrying out agricultural training of the youth in rural areas showing them that there was wealth in working on the land than migrating to towns in search of employment.
He said the President and late VP Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo aided the people to claim ownership of their land.
“Now that they have ownership of the land through the Land Reform Programme, we need partners like churches to develop and exploit our land to unlock its value for the benefit of our people. This is why this Ebenezer programme is a very important development in the empowerment of our youths and rural communities,” he added.
The graduates were encouraged to take agriculture seriously as it was a cornerstone to building the Zimbabwean economy. They were also told to graduate from subsistence agriculture into producing food for the market.
They were further told to engage in agribusiness which will result not only in food security but also generate income through export.
The VP said corruption, which was a serious scourge in the country, could only be curbed and eventually eradicated if morals and spirituality were inculcated into youths and the population at large. The churches together with other community agents were encouraged to lead in this change of mindset.
The Minister of State responsible for Psychomotor Activities in Liaison with Education Cde Josiah Hungwe, who was also absent, said in his speech that agriculture was a key factor in supporting food security.
“Through our economic blueprint, we consider agriculture as a key factor in food security and poverty alleviation and therefore we will keep supporting the church and any organisation that promotes livelihoods of youths and the unemployed through agricultural programmes such as Ebenezer,” said Cde Hungwe.
He stressed the need for community ownership of such programmes and respecting of traditional leadership who are the custodians of the land.
Mr Peter Cunningham, the farm owner at Ebenezer Agricultural Institute, said people were skeptical on doing agriculture in Matabeleland regions saying it was a dry area as compared to Mashonaland.
He gave an example of California in the United States of America which is the driest area in that country but grows high value crops that are exported to various areas.
“There is a lot of potential in Matabeleland and we have to tap into it by helping our farmers to unlock their potential starting off by connecting them with their spiritual life and moving on to other areas,” he said.
Mr Cunningham said farmers should not be dependent on donors but should work with the resources that they have.
He said the graduates were the future of the country’s agricultural sector and should be assisted to start their projects and turn Matabeleland green and meet the world’s export needs.
He said many people wanted to go to South Africa to seek jobs but the future was in Zimbabwe and also in farming.
A total of 58 students graduated from the college.
Ebenezer is a Christian-based organisation that trains youths in Agriculture, Business Studies, Mathematics and English, among other subjects.
