The Sunday News
Nqobile Bhebhe in Binga, Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE is on an aggressive thrust to nurture and develop home grown talent among youths that will be a vital cog in driving several developmental projects countrywide, President Mnangagwa has said.
To build that critical human resource mass that will feed into the mantra “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/ Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo”, President Mnangagwa said there is a need for the youths to acquire proper education.
To that end, and while speaking at the commissioning of a classroom block at Mabobolo Secondary School under Chief Pashu and groundbreaking ceremony of two clinics, Mabobolo and Manyanda, President Mnangagwa appealed to parents to send their children to school. The classroom blocks were constructed by the Dutch Reformed Church in Zimbabwe.
His Excellency open school
“This is a beautiful school. When I was invited, I never thought I will see such a beautiful school. The church is assisting the Government in providing quality education. My wish is that every child goes to school, both boys and girls and if I hear that parents are not sending children to school, trouble is coming.
I said nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, we want to come to a stage where all clothes are manufactured in Zimbabwe, food we eat is produced in Zimbabwe, even cars we use must be manufactured in Zimbabwe. For this to happen we want our children to study science and agriculture.”
President Mnangagwa said there was abundant talent among the youth which needed to be harnessed for maximum benefit of the country.
“Our children are very clever and talented, so we as a Government we provide innovation hubs at universities to allow those innovative students to transform their dreams into a service. We want engineers, doctors, architects so that Binga can be built by locals.”
In 2018, President Mnangagwa set out a clear vision for higher and tertiary education. He enunciated that he wanted a human capital development sector that would contribute to national development.
The President wants to see higher and tertiary education institutions playing a more significant role in national development, and providing the essential knowledge and skills needed for production of quality goods and services for the industrialisation and modernisation of the nation.
This meant moving away from old traditional ways of teaching and learning to building an innovation-led and knowledge-driven economy by 2025, as espoused in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1). Universities and colleges have been mandated to innovate and respond to community challenges.
The Government has increased funding towards infrastructure development at universities so as to synchronise the transformation led by higher and tertiary institutions. In the 2023 National Budget, the Treasury allocated $9,8 billion towards infrastructure development at universities which is a precursor towards aligning universities with their national mandate in the development discourse.
The President decried the rampant abuse of drugs by the youths saying the habit should be eradicated.
“If we allow kids to be drunk, vachi sticker, how can we build a country? I appeal to all churches to preach on anti-drugs abuse but this should start at home.
Drugs
Village heads should be firm, say no to drunkards. The chiefs, who represent the President, they should make sure their headmen are not abusing drugs.”
Turning to developmental projects, the President said when he met local chiefs last year, they indicated that the area is lagging behind in development. However, he noted that now there was transformation taking place.
“This is my third visit with my ministers here and in one of the visits the Resident Minister was detailing problems after problem. He said chiefs don’t have reliable water, so I am happy that every chief has a borehole at their homesteads.
Youths asked for fishing rigs, we gave them. You asked for rehabilitation of roads and I am happy that most roads have been upgraded. In the coming two years, irrigation schemes will be set up in Gwayi-Shangani, Bulawayo Kraal will be fully functionalised and we want to get rid of hunger in Binga.”
Speaking at the event, Dr Issac Pandaswika, Dutch Reformed Church of Zimbabwe moderator said the Government under President Mnangagwa was a God fearing one and that makes the church grateful to the Second Republic.
“President Mnangagwa says nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, we also say nyika inonyengetererwa nevene vayo (a country is prayed for by its owners). We are so grateful that we are free to spread the gospel under this Government.
As the church, we said no one else is worthy to commission this classroom block besides our President Mnangagwa. All our educational facilities right up to a university are legally registered,” he said.
