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Nqobile Tshili, Sunday News Correspondent
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday said the country’s universities should start producing students who fit in the industrialisation concept of the country.
Addressing Zanu-PF supporters at White City Stadium, the President said the country should aim for massive industrialisation in the next 12 years.
He said higher and tertiary institutions have a role to play for the country to achieve a middle income status by year 2030.
He said he will soon meet with students across the board to listen to their views on how they can contribute towards modernisation of the country.
President Mnangagwa said universities should produce curricula that accommodate expectations of the industry and modernisation of the country.
“I have sat down my administration with institutes of higher learning, our universities and institutions of higher learning to say we must now focus on producing products which fit in the industrialisation concept of this country,” said President Mnangagwa.
“So all Vice-Chancellors of universities and captains of industry have come together, to say, captains of industry what type of skills do they want for the economy to go forward.
“What should the universities do in terms of their curricula to produce students who can fit in modern Zimbabwe, our Zimbabwe we want, the Zimbabwe of tomorrow?”
He said Government was ready to assist youthful inventors through the establishment of innovation hubs in the country’s six universities.
The innovation hubs are being set up in University of Science and Technology (Nust), Midlands State University (MSU),
University of Zimbabwe,(UZ) Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), Zimbabwe Defence University and Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT).
President Mnangagwa recently officially opened the innovation hub at MSU saying it was time to for universities to turn knowledge into products.
“Two weeks ago, I went to launch an industrial hub where every young man and woman who are inventors on small-scale inventions should go to, for processing (of their inventions) so that they can become commercial,” said President Mnangagwa.
“This arose as a result of my visit at the (Zimbabwe International) Trade Fair in April. We went around and found students from the National University of Science and Technology, they have so many little inventions, modern inventions but they don’t have finance . . .”
He said Government has also partnered with the private sector in the construction of hostels in higher and tertiary institutions.
— @nqotshili
Online Reporter