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Talent Chimutambgi and Nesia Mhaka
Higher and tertiary institutions should churn out graduates who are capable of transforming the industrial sector through innovation, a government official has said.
Speaking during the launch of African Student Association 2019 Business and Science Expo (ASA) last week, Permanent Secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education Professor Fanuel Tagwira said graduates should help stimulate modernisation in the country through their innovation expertise.
“Society expects our Higher and Tertiary institutions to produce graduates who can think scientifically, analyse problem objectively, and apply facts learnt in class to stimulate industrial growth and to be repositories of knowledge and expertise and generators of human capital needed to solve pressing developments issues,” he said.
Prof Tagwira said 21st century learners must be capable of identifying the problems in society and come up with solutions through creativity.
“The 21st century graduates should offer solutions to challenge we have as well as those we have never faced before,” he said. “Our creativity, critically thinking problem solving in the 21st century must be more focused on societal needs.”
Prof Tagwira said President Mnangagwa challenged tertiary institution to desist from focusing on enrolment figures, but on producing students who had solutions to the societal needs.
“His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, Cde ED Mnangagwa, has challenged universities to stop taking pride in high enrolment figures and focus on providing answers to the country’s challenges,” he said.
“Our National Vision 2030 and the Transitional Stabilisation Programme emphasizes the need to make our higher education more relevant to the economic transformation of the country and speaks about higher education, helping to stimulate industrialisation in the country.”
Prof Tagwira said Zimbabwe should adopt an education system that imparts knowledge, which is relevant to exploitation of locally available resources for transformation to an industrialised and modernised economy.
Online Reporter