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consciousness,” he said.
“We should do away with this syndrome through harnessing our energies for our development. Our universities should put more focus on the indigenisation programme. I believe our graduates who have been trained in various fields can develop our communities.”
The President said it is imperative that Zimbabwe creates a local private sector for sustainable development.
Government, he said, was disappointed by the lack of interest by citizens to take up opportunities in the mining sector.
President Mugabe said universities and other tertiary institutions had to move away from colonial structures that were meant to promote aspirations and values of the colonial powers.
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He said the Ian Smith regime had established a segregatory education system that prevented blacks from acquiring technical skill necessary for development.
However, the Government has done a lot since independence to correct this anomaly.
Zimbabwe had one State university at independence, but now has 10 and three other private universities while technical and teachers’ colleges have also increased significantly.
“Let us re-examine our universities and see whether they can be assisted. A lot has to be done, the universities cannot rely much on the private sector, they still lean on the State and unless they get that support, their ability to expand is limited,” he said.
He said it was important that more expositions on research be done to increase interaction between the tertiary institutions, the private sector and Government.
The President urged the institutions to emulate the Chinese who had improved already existing technologies to develop their economy.
“China’s system of adopting technology and applying it to their own environment and excelling it and improving on it has raised its GDP and its own economy to a very high level and this is an example to us small countries,” he said.
He said while donor funding from international institutions was welcome, it was disheartening to note that it was not directed to technical fields.
“International institutions that assist us should do so in areas we need assistance. When the IMF and the World Bank want to assist African universities they assist in the areas of Law, Human Rights, Good Governance and not so much in areas that deal with technology.
“We want to see areas that deal with technology being emphasised more,” he said.
The President also called on universities to help in moulding graduates that respect their African traditions and values so that they can work in harmony with their communities.
He called on tertiary institutions to promote Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage such as music and folklore.
The Research and Intellectual Exposition is being held at the University of Zimbabwe and is being attended by academics drawn from the countries’ various tertiary institutions.
The RIE aims at promoting the creation of an enabling environment for innovation using arts, humanities and science and technology methodology in addressing the development needs of the country.
The RIE is being held for the second time since its inauguration last year and is being held under the theme, ‘Research, Innovation and Creativity for Sustainable Development’.
RIE chairman, Professor Christopher Chetsanga, said the event was meant to showcase achievements by Zimbabwe’s tertiary institutions.
“Through the RIE, which we are holding this week, we are intending to announce a variety of good achievements produced by our universities, polytechnics and colleges in various disciplines to the community and partners,” he said.
“The RIE is dedicated to showcasing our research products and to foster a culture of innovation and creativity among our people. We want to be a reference to the nation’s progress.”
Online Reporter
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