Varsities get Presidential thumbs up

Wallace Ruzvidzo in Bindura

Tertiary institutions across the country are walking the talk and aiding Government efforts towards the attainment of Vision 2030, President Mnangagwa has said.

He made the remarks yesterday while commissioning the Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) Optometry and Auditory School, which is the first-of-its-kind for a university in Africa, and a new students dining hall.

The Optometry and Auditory School houses nine lecture rooms, laboratories and an eye lens production workshop.

Speaking to journalists after the commissioning, President Mnangagwa said it was encouraging to see tertiary institutions such as BUSE increasingly becoming action oriented.

“Well, we have come to the conclusion of a vision which we had some years back. But today, we have seen the fruition of that vision. Professor (BUSE Vice Chancellor Eddie) Mwenje has been talking about this for a long time. And I was looking for a day when what he talked about could be realised in reality,” he said.

President Mnangagwa then congratulated BUSE for a job well done and achieving the milestone.

“And today, here it is (the Optometry and Auditory School), and we have commissioned it. So, congratulations,” said the President, who was visibly impressed.

The Head of State has continued to rally tertiary institutions to carry on aiding the Government’s developmental efforts.

President Mnangagwa cuts the ribbon to officially open Bindura University of Science and Education (BUSE) School of Optometry and Auditory while Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Dr Frederick Shava (second from left), BUSE Vice Chancellor Professor Eddie Mwenje (right) and Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Christopher Magomo (far left) look on yesterday

Chairman of the Department of Optometry Dr Claudio Mutuwa said they conduct clinical training and some students actually attend to patients.

“Then we also do a clinical training, where our Part 4, which is a four -year programme, so our Part 3 and Part 4 students, we then tend to actually give them the opportunity to see patients in real time obviously it is done under supervision.

“So from there, then, of course, we put the new building, which is also another process, whereby the spectacles that we put in the clinic are made,” he said.

Dr Mutuwa outlined some of the procedures at the Optometry and Auditory School.

“We have two divisions of optometry, and if we want to call it dispenser optician, we also have what is called an optometrist. So generally, what we do is we do an eye check. We do primary eye care, where we examine the eyes, we find what the problem is,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said it was encouraging to note that tertiary institutions were heeding the Second Republic’s philosophy that “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo”.

“I saw that the nation is fully aware that ‘nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’. Long back we would have sent people to go abroad and see how it’s done, then we buy from them. But now we are able to sell products to them,” said President Mnangagwa last week at the Harare Institute of Technology’s graduation ceremony where he commissioned the Tram-Urban Mass Transportation System Proof of Concept and Research Centre.