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Professor Christopher Chetsanga
Correspondent
Historically, colonial governments did not do much to develop education for blacks in the villages and cities.
It was missionaries from Europe and North America who promoted the development of 90 percent primary education and secondary education schools in the villages during the years of colonial ruling of Zimbabwe.
The missionaries played two roles in serving rural African communities. Each regular schooling provision was accompanied by offering Christian religious training and regular educational training.
University training was offered during the much later colonial ruling years.
I had to go to the United States of America for the BSc degree university training at the University of California and Pepperdine University (1960-1964). I then did my MSc and PhD at the University of Toronto in Canada (1965-1969).
I then spent 1970 to 1972 doing postdoctoral training at Harvard University in the US.
I then went to the University of Michigan in late 1972, starting as an assistant professor (1972-1975), was promoted to associate professor for the period of 1975 to 1979 and was finally promoted to full professor during the period of 1979 to 1983.
It was in 1983 when I returned to Zimbabwe to teach at the University of Zimbabwe after our independence in 1980.
I had spent 23 years in North America. At the time of my return to Zimbabwe, the University of Zimbabwe was the only University in this country.
Agricultural development
Most families are engaging in successful agricultural crop growth. Most parts of Zimbabwe are effective in growing crops.
The mainly grown crops are maize, beans, potatoes, vegetables and tomatoes. With good rainfall, most families get good yields.
Animals raised are cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens. Larger yields of animals have been attained in some communities.
Challenges of water shortage have been encountered in communities from time to time.
Parts of Zimbabwe, especially Matabeleland have had traditional water shortage challenges due to limited annual rainfalls.
The current climate change phenomena are affecting rainfall patterns.
In Zimbabwe, the climate change effect was the poor rainfall we experienced during last summer.
This resulted in poor crop growth and harvests.
In the face of all these effects, one respects President Mnangagwa’s current implementation of borehole strategies in a number of communities.
Boreholes provide water for a variety of community needs.
When there is an unexpected shortage of rainfall, the affected communities can use borehole water in vegetable gardens and parts of their crop fields.
This approach can allow the harvesting of helpful levels of vegetables in gardens and field crops that would be unavailable in case of no rainfall or cases of poor rainfall.
Communities now in possession of boreholes do greatly appreciate being availed of this borehole facility from President Mnangagwa’s decision.
Promotion of university education by Government
Our Governments since 1980, have played a notable role in developing the education systems.
The primary and secondary school systems have been upgraded in all village areas and cities.
The realisation of the importance of increasing the number of university-trained experts in promoting national economic development by the political leaders have made them increase the number of universities in Zimbabwe to a total of 25 universities.
It is going to be important for the Government to increase research funding used by university researchers and the students that they are training.
At the moment, staff at universities feel there is need to increase research funding to the level of 1 percent of GDP.
Among the 25 universities operating in Zimbabwe today, 11 of them are mostly sponsored by outside organisations.
Most of these organisations are from Europe and the US from where they raise the funding they are providing.
Some 14 universities are Government sponsored, while 11 Universities are sponsored by religious and other private organisations.
Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) is among the 14 universities.
A question is often asked why HIT was not converted to a university at the time when it started to offer degrees. Many people propose that HIT should have been renamed Harare University of Science and Technology (HUST). From my knowledge of HIT, I strongly support calling it a university.
Minerals are important for producing technical equipment and other varieties of equipment.
Minerals are widely used as resources in industrial factories. Countries rich in minerals get good economic benefits.
A number of people are impressed by the current mineralogical work projects under way in Zimbabwe.
This will enhance the amount of revenue the country can get from marketing mineral products, if the products are value added first.
The process of beneficiation of raw mineral products can provide opportunities of industrialisation, leading to job creation opportunities generated by mineralogy.
With the abundant mineral resources that Zimbabwe has, investing money in developing technologies for the industrial processing of raw minerals will provide the needed opportunities for national economic development.
These strategies will promote the creation of multiple industrial enterprises in which several factories will be established for boosting the national economic development of Zimbabwe. Economy grows when science and technology is transformed to goods and services.
It is clear that the country has attained a clear state of advancement in various sections.
The goal set by President Mnangagwa that the country should above middle income society development by the year 2030 is appearing to be achievable.
In today’s Zimbabwe, it is the area of industrialisation that needs attention.
But with today’s developments in mineralogy and the research underway in universities and SIRDC, industrialisation requirements are likely to be attained by 2030.
Zimbabwe is now on the assured path to national development.
Hopefully, universities will develop enough experts to help in cultivating the growth of a technology culture, and sharpen the cutting edge of technology.
Experts are expected to develop enough technical initiatives in advancing science and technology exploitation.
Professor Christopher Chetsanga is at Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University
Online Reporter