Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Bhebhe, [email protected]
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday commissioned the state-of-the-art Professor Phineas Mogorosi Makhurane Technovation Centre at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) in Bulawayo.
He expressed satisfaction with the progress made at the institution and commended the university for taking the lead in driving industrial solutions. The centre is part of the country’s initiative to transform universities into sustainable economic units through Heritage-Based Education 5.0. This programme involves students from higher and tertiary education institutions in innovative projects that address societal problems. The level of innovation at Nust has already attracted the attention of President Mnangagwa, who believes that universities are essential to the development of communities.
The Government has promoted inclusive access to education by establishing a university per province. Each of these institutions is involved in transformative projects that have helped communities withstand the negative impacts of the illegal sanctions imposed by the United States and its Western allies.
President Mnangagwa toured the centre accompanied by Vice-Chancellor Professor Mqhele Dlodlo, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Dr Frederick Shava, and several university staffers.
Briefing journalists after the touring the innovation projects on-site, President Mnangagwa commended Prof Dlodlo for spearheading development and said that Nust was poised for growth as the Second Republic forges ahead with infrastructural development.
“We say ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo’ and this is the evidence of the philosophy. We have to build infrastructure ourselves and nobody else will do it for us,” said President Mnangagwa.
“Everything begins with a first step and then goes forward. In the coming years, we will find new attractive developments here. I am happy that my brother here (Professor Mqhele Dlodlo), despite his height, the ideas are big. So, I am very glad of what he is doing. You will still be around here doing your good work.”
Prof Makhurane, who died in 2018, was a stalwart in academic circles, known for his exceptional contributions to the field of science and mathematics.
As the founding Vice-Chancellor of NUST in 1991, he played an instrumental role in its development until his retirement in 2004.
Aside from his academic pursuits, Prof Makhurane was a selfless nationalist who also served as the lead consultant for the education of refugees in the ZAPU camps in Zambia. He was also the first black Zimbabwean to earn a degree in physics and mathematics, and the second black PhD graduate in the country.
The commissioning of the centre was attended by members of his family, academic stakeholders, and senior government officials. However, the project had been abandoned by independent contractors after 15 years, leaving it only 60 percent complete.
With the Second Republic’s financial support and guidance from the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, NUST adopted a new construction model and has taken over all construction projects.
Prof Makhurane’s legacy spans beyond NUST. He also served as Vice-Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Zimbabwe in 1981, where he worked tirelessly to expand the university’s infrastructure.
After he expressed the need to expand Zimbabwe’s university education to cope with the increased output of advanced-level school leavers in post-independence, he was appointed as the chairman of the Foundation Committee of NUST. Under his leadership, NUST established itself as the country’s first STEM-focused academic centre.
Additionally, Prof Makhurane was the first Vice-Chancellor in the Southern African region to introduce industrial attachment programmes to universities, replacing vacation training. His contributions to the field of academia and the country’s education system cemented his place as a national hero and an inspiration to many.
Online Reporter