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Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday capped 3 149 graduates at the 20th Midlands State University (MSU) graduation ceremony in Gweru.
A total of 771 were postgraduate students.
The gender composition of the graduates was almost balanced with 1 568 females and 1581 males graduating.
There was a total of 100 international students drawn from Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Sudan and eSwatini.
In his key note address, MSU Vice Chancellor Professor Victor Muzvidziwa said part of the graduates were the pioneer classes in Mining Engineering and Metallurgical Engineering.
He said a national critical skills audit conducted last year revealed a deficit in Engineering and Technology, Natural and Applied Sciences, Agriculture, Medical and Health Sciences.
“We are immensely proud of the University’s response to the skills audit through curriculum renewal. The University has since rebranded and expanded the mandate of its mining and mineral processing engineering faculty to become the Faculty of Engineering and Geo Sciences, now offering a wide range of disciplines in engineering including energy and fuel sciences. These academic disciplines your Excellency and Chancellor resonate very well with vision 2030 agenda. This gives us prospects of achieving an upper middle-income economy by 2030,” he said.
Prof Muzvidziwa said two of the greatest threats to humanity are climate change and global energy deficit.
“Our approach is therefore futuristic and that is why we are firmly committed to Education 5.0 underpinned by a new design ably articulated by our Honourable Professor Amos Murwira,” he said.
“The 4th industrial revolution is upon us and it compels us to shape and re-imagine the future. We take pride that MSU has made digital fluency, innovation and entrepreneurship priorities. The future belongs to those who innovate, who can leverage on block chain technology, data science and artificial intelligence, and those with the soft skills of creativity, critical thinking and leadership. Our disciplines in the humanities and social sciences have also embraced digital technologies; what with social media and the new trends in communication as well as augmented reality in the performing arts. We are committed to imparting these skills to our students,” he said.
Prof Muzvidziwa said in line with the Ministry’s strategic vision, MSU has just completed the Incubation Hub Laboratory which was entirely funded by Government.
“Let me express our heartfelt gratitude to the Government, through our line Ministry and Zimdef, for availing $1,5m to fund the purchase of equipment for the Incubation Hub laboratory. The equipment will contribute to the innovation and industrialisation ecosystem by catalysing the up-scaling of laboratory models and prototypes into commercial goods and services.
“We are also immensely grateful to our Ministry for support towards the indigenous fruit and herbs project. This project is set to unlock the commercial value of nutritional and medicinal products from indigenous fruits and herbs. The project also champions a novel pathway for university research output to be channelled through our Incubation Hub,” he said.
Prof Muzvidziwa said the Department of Local Governance Studies continues to make community engagement its priority.
“In August the department collaborated with the Swedish Embassy and the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy in capacitating local authorities drawn from the country’s 10 provinces through training. These efforts will bring in the efficiency and effectiveness needed in our local authorities. The Department has also provided leadership in the Midlands Province’s Devolution agenda,” he said.
Prof Muzvidziwa said MSU academics have been attracting global attention in the areas of research and innovation adding that locally they have been appointed to critical boards.
“Our international contacts keep expanding. The Faculty of Arts is hosting a number of PhD students/research affiliates from Michigan State University and Princeton University in the USA as well as from the University of Essex in the UK. Our own Professor Tasiyana Javangwe from the Department of English and Communication was recently awarded the highly competitive Fulbright Fellowship for Senior Scholars. His fellowship is tenable at the University of Florida’s Centre for African Studies,” he said.
Among those graduating yesterday were Chronicle correspondents Innocent Kurira and Mthabisi Tshuma, former Midlands bureau intern Grace Nyoni who was awarded a Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) award for best student in Media Studies and ZBC news Midlands Bureau Chief Tafara Chikumira who graduated with a Master’s Degree in Media and Society Studies.
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