The Sunday News
Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
STUDENTS should take advantage of the country’s adoption of an education system that imparts knowledge which is suitable for exploitation of locally available resources to help in the quest to transform the country into an industrialised and modernised economy.
Speaking during the 35th Graduation and Prize-Giving Day at Kwekwe Polytechnic on Wednesday, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Amon Murwira said gone were the days of importing goods instead of producing our own using the locally available resources.
“Our aim is to solve our problems locally using locally available resources. The vision of the ministry is to deliver a competitive, modernised and industrialised Zimbabwe through higher and tertiary education, science and technology development,” said Prof Murwira.
“We should not be known for asking for foreign currency to go and buy things from outside the country. Things we buy are produced by who, what are we doing about it? We should be known for transforming the vast natural resources we were given by God and use them to our advantage,” he said.
The ministry, he said, has embarked on a restructuring exercise focused on teaching, research, community service, innovation and industrialisation.
He said the Government has also engaged investors to develop state-of-the-art infrastructure at tertiary institutions across the country.
“We are engaging investors to develop state- of-the-art infrastructure for Higher and Tertiary Institutions. Our aim is to cultivate an inspiring environment for nurturing our students. The Government continues to discuss with local banks and international financing institutions in order to find an affordable financing mechanism for education,” he said.
Kwekwe Polytechnic acting principal, Engineer Calisto Muzongondi, said the institution was resolutely behind President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 as witnessed by the calibre of graduates the institution churn out.
“As Kwekwe Polytechnic, we resolutely rally behind the President’s call and will do everything in our power to see the creation of many functional technologies for the industrialisation and modernisation of the Zimbabwe economy,” said Eng Muzongondi.
A total of 802 graduated with certificates, diplomas and Bachelor of Technology degrees during the ceremony.
Of the 802, 264 were females.
