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Sifelani Tsiko Harare Bureau
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda has challenged academics to develop life skills to enable them to be self-reliant and cope with the rigours of life. Sibanda told participants at a one-day research stakeholders’ workshop on Friday that amassing educational qualifications without life skills was not sustainable.
“The days when people just amass educational qualifications which don’t help them in coping with the rigours and challenges of survival and competition in the global market place, which others have branded as “learned helplessness,” shouldn’t be allowed to continue,” he said.
“As researchers, it’s our role to drive forward this transformative agenda.” The Research Council of Zimbabwe organised the workshop to give researchers a platform for intense deliberations to develop a position on the role of research in the attainment of the goals outlined in the country’s economic blueprint Zim-Asset.
Academics also sought to develop strategies for supporting the implementation of the programme and to map prospects for research collaboration among Zimbabweans and with the global community.
Sibanda said academics should discard the mentality of producing academics without practical life skills. He said being educated had much to do with what one can do in life and nothing to do with the number of degrees one might have acquired. “That’s the way to go, if we’re going to adequately empower our citizens to be value creators,” Sibanda said.
He challenged academics to map out strategies to enhance the role of research that could provide solutions to national socio-economic challenges. “We need to focus our attention on strengthening our research capability for the purpose of stimulating the country’s development process,” the Chief Secretary said.
Zimbabwe’s economic blueprint Zim-Asset has major clusters which include food security and nutrition, value addition and beneficiation, utilities and infrastructure development, social services and poverty eradication.
“The experiences of other countries demonstrate the fact that research and development can be a key driver of innovation and technology change, which in turn, lead to economic growth and enhanced productivity,” Sibanda said.
He said technological advances made in Europe, the Silicon Valley ICT revolution, the emergency of Asian tigers and China all point to the critical role of research in unleashing the development of the countries. “Surely, as Zimbabweans we can’t be the odd exception,” the Chief Secretary said.
“I’m convinced that the future success of our country will depend on the ideas, knowledge and talents of its people.” Sibanda said the research and development thrust has not adequately addressed the key requirements of the country’s development agenda. “We should establish collaborative networks between our research/tertiary institutions and business in order to facilitate the adoption and commercialisation of research innovations,’ Sibanda said.
“At a practical level such collaborative networks should be anchored on the search for innovative and technological solutions that should ultimately render our economy more competitive at the global level.” He said there was now need to inculcate business ideals into the institutional research programmes.
Londile Moyo
Bongani Ndlovu