Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira
Senior Reporter
SCIENCE, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) study is key in the modernisation and industrialisation of the country and the Government will continue prioritising the learning of sciences for national development, the President has said.
He said the development of a country was anchored mainly on sciences.
President Mnangagwa made the remarks yesterday at State House when he met 39 students who have been awarded scholarships under the ED-University of Zambia Scholarship Fund.
The scholarship programme seeks to assist boys and girls from disadvantaged families drawn across the country’s 10 provinces and will study various disciplines at seven universities of the country.
“In the past during our time, the most important degrees were law and medicine. So science, actually in my view develops a country. Although I am a lawyer, I would want young people to pursue science studies. Meanwhile, requisite science and technological skills are key to the modernisation and industrialisation, of not only our motherland, Zimbabwe, but also to SADC and Africa at large,” said President Mnangagwa.
“In line with the skills gaps and human capital needs identified during the National Critical Skills Audit, which I commissioned in 2018, up-skilling and training in science, technology, engineering and bio-medical fields, are receiving priority support from my Administration.
“Parents and schools are encouraged to deliberately channel more learners towards these fields so that our people can fully participate in and benefit from the highly competitive, modern and knowledge-based economic environment. To this end, I commend the Trustees for ensuring that the STEM fields are well represented under the current scholarship beneficiaries.”
President Mnangagwa said it was critical to realise that law was equally important in that it could be applied in other disciplines and urged law students to pursue it and specialise in their future studies.
“I challenge those pursuing law to take a keen interest, from the outset, in future areas of specialisation. These must focus on new fields within the legal sector necessitated by emerging scientific and technological developments as well as the accelerated pace of our country’s modernisation.
“The legal fraternity and the respective law schools as a whole should be alive to new divisions of law such as artificial intelligence and accountability law; space law, fintech and crypto regulation, platform and content moderation law, as well as environmental law, among many other categories. Our country’s legal cohorts must be well prepared for the world of the future,” said President Mnangagwa.
He outlined his early education life, most of which was done in Zambia from his formative stage and attained a law degree with the University of Zambia.
“I am a beneficiary of education in Zambia. I, therefore, feel I have a duty to have a programme that allows Zimbabwe and Zambia to benefit,” he said.
The President said he established the Scholarship Fund in November 2019, with the broad objective of addressing inequalities in terms of access to affordable education.
“Initially, the Scholarship Programme leveraged my close association with the University of Zambia, as its alumni, and saw students from Zimbabwe studying at the University of Zambia. Another lot of students came from Zambia to study here in Zimbabwean universities.
“Social circumstances or one’s background must never constrain the opportunities available to talented boys and girls in our communities.
“Over the years, we have seen it fit to avail this scholarship to local students to study in our local universities. The majority of you here present, are the first cohort of students to benefit from this expanded thrust. Congratulations.”
Students drawn from Zambia who attended yesterday’s programme were Marysiana Mwandogo, Mary Mwandogo, Elijah Magaba, Levison Lungu and Aaron Phiri.
“On my part, with the support of our generous donors, we will make sure that the Scholarship Programme is sustainable and adequately resourced, so that these young people, and many others that will come after them, realise fulfilling careers that benefit our country. At Government level, the Second Republic continues to take incremental steps to improve the higher and tertiary education sector,” he said.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, commended President Mnangagwa for rewarding innovation and research.
“The only thing you can give without loss is knowledge. With a car you can give and lose it to the person who gets it. So our President has given us a gift of knowledge; education. He believes in trying and innovation. When you try you have two answers; you either succeed or you fail, but if you do not try, you are assured of failure,” said Prof Murwira, who is also a Trustee of the ED UNZA Scholarship Fund.
Chairperson of the Trust, Mr Herbert Nkala, said the Trust has 66 Zimbabwean students and 11 Zambians since its first intake in 2021.
The students are learning at the University of Zimbabwe, Great Zimbabwe University, National University of Science and Technology, Midlands State University, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Bindura University of Science Education and Harare Institute of Technology.
“We have two mining companies that approached us with intention of sponsoring nine students and to employ them upon graduation. At least five are at UZ and the other four at MSU. The companies are Kuvimba Mining House and Bikita Minerals,” said Mr Nkala.
He said they aimed to have 100 students and to sustain that they needed an investment of US$10 million, hence they will continue with their fundraising activities.
Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa yesterday received a truckload of an assortment of groceries from local businessman, Mr Tinashe Mahowa for distribution to the underprivileged.
In an interview, President Mnangagwa said most philanthropists were driven by passion rather than abundance of what to give.
“This is a donation that I have received from this young man, Tinashe Mahowa. We have to identify disadvantaged groups and I have to use my Chief Secretary (Dr Martin Rushwaya) to identify these groups.
“I do not think it is a question of bigger pockets but that of being human; they give as a result of feeling that there are others who do not have and they have that heart to give. Not that they have too much for themselves, but just the willingness to share. This is what I believe,” said President Mnangagwa.
