Herald Correspondent
ZANU PF has established the President Mnangagwa Campus Renewal Challenge at Chinhoyi University of Technology, a scholarship programme designed to reward innovation among students ahead of the 23rd National People’s Conference next week.
The challenge, which will be commissioned by President Mnangagwa during the conference, is being implemented by Gokwe-North DCC Chairperson Justice Mayor Wadyajena on behalf of the President and Chancellor of all State Universities.
The programme consists of two complementary competitions – the Campus Renewal, Enhancement, Signage and Technology Challenge (CREST) and the Presidential Reward for Innovation, Merit and Excellence (PRIME).
Speaking in Chinhoyi on Tuesday during the launch of the scholarship, Ms Chiedza Danha, representing Cde Wadyajena, said CREST is a campus beautification competition.
“We are here today to launch two competitions. One is called the Crest Competition and the other one is called the Prime Competition,” she said.
“The Crest Competition is essentially a campus beautification and enhancement competition and it invites students from across all faculties to come up with innovative ideas to beautify the campus.”
The competition focuses on three new facilities donated by the party ahead of the conference – a community block which will serve as the Campus Safety and Security Headquarters, a three-bedroom caretaker’s residence, and a modern male and female ablution block with showers and disability facilities.
Ms Danha said the idea is to incentivise students to improve their own environment and apply classroom knowledge to real projects.
Winners will design the façade enhancement and permanent signage for the three facilities, ensuring the President’s name is etched into daily campus life.
Prizes include full fees paid for the remainder of their studies for the winner, plus US$1 000 cash, a laptop and an iPhone. The first runner-up will get fees for the next year, US$750 and an iPhone, while the second runner-up will receive US$500, a laptop and partial fee support.
CUT Vice Chancellor, Irvin Tapera Mpofu, said the initiative is one of President Mnangagwa’s legacy projects.
“This is the brainchild of His Excellency Dr ED Mnangagwa. This is very important because we are involving students in innovative competitive actions while celebrating what the ZANU PF conference has done to Chinhoyi University,” he said.
He said the university has been renewed through the party’s intervention, describing Cde Wadyajena’s role as phenomenal.
He said Education 5.0 has transformed universities from mere teaching laboratories to innovation hubs and industrial parks.
“Previously, students would just have access to teaching laboratories but now because of the innovation hubs students have extra space in expressing themselves and gaining skills in innovation hubs,” he said.
Party officials said the campus is the most fertile ground for imparting revolutionary ideology to tech-savvy youth and that adversaries seek to weaponise universities as hotbeds of dissent.
“This initiative will decisively reclaim the intellectual space and permanently anchor the President and Party as the champions of innovation and opportunity,” an official said.
Officials said the competition will be merit-based and open to every bona fide CUT student in good standing, with no political test, adding that the modest investment will deliver colossal dividends.
Implementation support will be provided by Vice Chancellor Prof Mpofu and ZANU PF National Chairman Advocate Jacob Mudenda.
