Govt to support less privileged students

Tinashe Farawo in Bindura
GOVERNMENT will continue to support the less-privileged in their tertiary education, a Cabinet minister has said. Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said Government would continue to support President Mugabe’s vision for an educated and empowered populace.

She was speaking at belated 21st February Movement celebrations organised by Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union in Bindura yesterday.
“In primary education it is 50-50 for boys and girls in secondary and tertiary it changes to 60-40; why? So to this end as Government we have set aside US$200 000 to support female students who want to pursue science and mathematics courses. We also want to be found in those male dominated areas of engineering, medicine, mathematics and science and technology,” she said.

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said President Mugabe was a catalyst for development.
“Apart from sacrificing his life to liberate this country from the yoke of colonialism, he is a champion for education and economic emancipation for the majority of blacks not only in Zimbabwe, but throughout the world,” she said.

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the country’s literacy rate at Independence was a paltry 25 percent but because of President Mugabe’s visionary leadership, it now stood above 90 percent — the highest in Africa.

On the economic front, she said it was unacceptable that many of people were still poor despite Zimbabwe’s huge mineral deposits.
She said students should establish companies and consortiums to run the economy.

Mashonaland Central provincial Zicosu president Miss Eustina Macheka paid tribute to President Mugabe for making education accessible to the majority, especially females.

“He did not only fight for his generation but for the past generation our generation and generations to come. His is a good fight worth celebrating,” she said.

The celebrations were attended by Mashonaland Central political leadership, senior Government officials and students from various institutions.