The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE country has started to reap the benefits of Heritage-Based Education 5.0 with innovations established by State Universities helping the country to save US$12 million in imports.
Under the Second Republic, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development transformed the inherited education system (Education 3.0) to a Heritage-Based Education (Education 5.0).
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Minister Professor Amon Murwira yesterday briefed Cabinet on the implementation of Heritage-Based Education 5.0 for the modernisation and industrialisation of Zimbabwe.
In a post Cabinet briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Service Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Heritage-Based Education has five components, namely teaching, research, community service, innovation and industrialisation which are meant to move the country forward towards innovation-led and knowledge-based economy.
“The activities are guided by priority programmes on innovation, science and technology development; and human capital development that produces goods and services. The Ministry’s strategic thrust is the attainment of an upper middle-income economy by 2030 through the “Chimurenga Chepfungwa” and “Nyika inovakwa nevana vayo” initiatives,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
She said the progress registered by the Ministry on the implementation of some of the programmes and projects of national importance were verifying engineering medical and industrial gases, indigenous fruits beneficiation programme and geospatial, aeronautical, and space science capability programme.
Among them were also number plates production programme, bio-economy programme, textile and clothing programme, innovation hubs programme, industrial parks programme and agro-innovation parks.
In terms of the industrial parks programme, the Minister said: “Semi-automated manufacturing plants for the local production of industrial and household personal care products, personal protective equipment and allied health products were established at State Universities thereby saving the nation US$12 million in imports.”
Minister Mutsvangwa said under the bio-economy programme, Finealt Engineering has successfully refurbished the bio-diesel processing plant in Mutoko.
She said the upgraded plant has the capacity to produce 75 000 litres of bio-diesel per day from the current 30 000 litres, while there was also a programme to commence the local production of cooking oil using sunflower and a national Sunflower Outgrower Scheme that has been started.
The Minister added: “Innovation Hub infrastructure has been successfully constructed at five State Universities. Under the programme a modern bus terminus was constructed at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), the construction of the Simon Mazorodze Medical School was completed as well the construction and equipping of the Midlands State University National Pathology Research and Diagnostics Centre.”
Minister Mutsvangwa said under verify engineering medical and industrial gases, medical and industrial oxygen, acetilyne gas and liquid nitrogen are being successfully produced in Manicaland and oxygen was being exported to Mozambique.
She said under the geospatial, aeronautical and space science capability programme the Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA) was responsible for the sending into Orbit of Zimbabwe’s first Satellite (ZIMSAT 1).
While work on ZIMSAT 2 was already underway and ZINGSA has produced a revised Agro-Ecological Zones Map, a National Wetlands map as well as high resolution survey maps for improved urban land-use planning and control of settlements in Harare, Karoi and Masvingo.
“Under the number plates production programme, a number plate manufacturing plant called TransTech Solutions was established at the UZ thereby internalising the production of number plates.”
