‘Varsities at centre of Zimbabwe’s economic development’

HIGHER and Tertiary Education, Innovation and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira has said the introduction of Heritage-based Education 5.0 has put the country on a development trajectory, as universities and colleges are responding to national challenges through local resources-based innovations.

Under the Second Republic, Government restructured the country’s higher and tertiary education, moving away from Education 3.0, which focused on teaching, research and community services, to Education 5.0 whose thrust is on innovation and industrialisation.

The adoption of Heritage-based Education 5.0 has seen universities being at the centre stage of the country’s economic development, a shift from the past where they were just bystanders.

Prof Murwira said this yesterday as he unpacked how Heritage-based Education 5.0 is benefitting the country during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) International Business Conference.

He said the Heritage-based Education 5.0 model is championing the transformation of the country into an upper middle income economy by 2030.

Prof Murwira said one of the key features of the universities’ transformation is the establishment of Innovation Hubs, which has resulted in the institution producing goods and services.

He said being pragmatic on development has seen universities taking charge of construction works at institutions such as the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) whose building had been stagnant for over a decade.

“Nust is being built by Nust with the help of Bulawayo Polytechnic College while we are leading the process. We have changed the landscape at Nust where 10 years ago some buildings were decaying and were full of snakes,” said Prof Murwira.

He said the Professor Phineas Makhurane Innovation Hub is the biggest in the country.

Prof Murwira said unlike in the past when higher and tertiary institutions were not involved in any manufacturing, his ministry is now producing medical oxygen and value-adding marula, among other local products.

He said Heritage-based Education 5.0 has discarded the notion of bragging about qualifications to concentrate on what individuals can do through the skills obtained at higher and tertiary education.

Prof Murwira said Agro Innovation Hubs have also been established at some of the country’s universities hence the need to research and innovate in the production of food products.

He said university students are now expected to produce goods in line with their training.

Prof Murwira said Zimbabwe should not be a bystander but embrace technological advancement of the fourth industrial revolution.

“The fourth industrial revolution is upon us. Are you a participant or a victim of it? So, these are key questions that a nation asks itself. So, we are looking at innovation and industrialisation, which is real,” he said.

Prof Murwira said the University of Zimbabwe, Great Zimbabwe University and Midlands State Universities are set to construct specialists’ hospitals as part of the country’s development thrust and called on the private sector to support the initiative.

“We are at a point where we have to use our minds to create our future. We have one of the largest oxygen-producing plants under Verify Engineering as we are producing 50 tonnes of medical oxygen a day,” he said. — @nqotshili