Zim set to showcase Education 5.0 as it assumes Sadc chairmanship

ZIMBABWE’S impending chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) represents a pivotal moment for the country to lead by example, leveraging its achievements in Heritage-Based Education 5.0, experts have said.

The education model, which emphasises the integration of traditional knowledge with modern educational practices, has been successfully implemented in higher and tertiary institutions across the country.

Zimbabwe is expected to set the tone for heritage-based knowledge-driven economic growth in the Sadc region, benchmarking it from the success that has been achieved in the implementation of the education model.

Heritage-Based Education 5.0 focuses on providing students with knowledge rooted in both traditional and contemporary contexts, encouraging investigations that merge heritage knowledge with scientific inquiry, and applying educational outcomes to benefit local communities directly.

It also includes fostering creativity and practical solutions derived from indigenous knowledge and translating research and innovation into tangible economic growth and development.

President Mnangagwa next month assumes the Sadc chairmanship which will allow the country to set the developmental trajectory of the region.

The Second Republic has revolutionised the higher and tertiary education sector through the adoption of Heritage-Based Education 5.0 whose thrust is to innovate and industrialise the country through education.

The model is a shift from colonial inherited Education 3.0 which mainly focused on producing graduates with an employee mentality as opposed to producing entrepreneurial graduates who are innovative and creative while solving national problems.

Through Heritage-Based Education 5.0 students at higher and tertiary institutions are creating prototypes to address national challenges. The National University of Science and Technology (Nust) created an application to address the theft of electricity infrastructure whose adoption will save millions of dollars that the country is losing.

At the peak of Covid-19, universities came on board and produced personal protective clothing which saved the country from spending millions of foreign currency importing such materials.

Several offshoot industries have emerged from innovations at higher and tertiary institutions creating employment for many.

In interviews, experts said as Zimbabwe assumes the Sadc chairmanship, it is expected that by showcasing the success of the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 model, the country can inspire other countries in the region to adopt similar approaches, promoting economic growth through culturally relevant and knowledge-driven strategies.

They said Zimbabwe’s leadership role could enhance regional cooperation, innovation, and sustainable development across the Sadc region.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Director for Tertiary Education programmes, Mr Douglas Damba said the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 blends in well within the African development agenda hence Zimbabwe’s chairing of the regional bloc will provide impetus to its regional adoption.

“His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Cde ED Mnangagwa, championed the Heritage-Based Education 5.0. It is the key enabler for industrial development in all African settings,” he said.

“The industrial development in the African set-up is not that strong and therefore this chairmanship is a time where we need to diffuse the tenancy of this Education 5.0.

“Already, Heritage-Based Education 5.0 has pervaded the corners of Sadc countries hence Zimbabwe being the chair, prominence will be high, and all the countries are driving towards innovation where education should produce goods and services.”

Mr Damba said through the adoption of Heritage-Based Education 5.0, Zimbabwe’s higher learning institutions have incubated ideas for industrialisation and bridged the gap between industry and academia.

He said with most Sadc countries experiencing similar challenges, the country’s chairmanship is expected to shape the regional policy on addressing some of those issues.

“Countries do have common economic challenges and to drive the industrialisation agenda, our skills, our education, our attitudes need to point in the right direction. So, we need to have a common strategy, a common tactic to move the industrialisation agenda forward.”

Namibia’s Ongenga Technical College executive director Mr Elia Haufiku said the fact that Zimbabwe is a centre of education excellence, the region would benefit when the country assumes the Sadc chairmanship.

“We view this country as a centre of educational excellence, this country is home to multiple skills. It is home to a unique education system that, in my view, is second to none on the continent. Therefore, Zimbabwe’s chairing the Sadc will add value to the education system in Africa,” he said.

“This Heritage-Based Education 5.0 fits our cultures, traditions and practices, and therefore it is the right timing for the Sadc community to try to transform education to fit the local content and needs. Zimbabwe has been setting the trends as far as the localised education system is concerned.”

He said the heritage-based education system enables the continent to better understand its resources.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Bulawayo Polytechnic College Research and Innovation Week last week, South Africa’s University of Venda’s community engagement, entrepreneurship, inclusive innovation and commercialisation director, Professor Vhonani Netshandama said regional integration by higher and tertiary institutions is critical in transforming the lives of ordinary people in Sadc.

“Tertiary institutions are melting pots for ideas, innovation, and knowledge. Tertiary institutions must collaborate better for regional integration so that the lives of people who are perpetually marginalised can be improved,” she said.

“We don’t have sufficient skills based in one area, the significance of us collaborating and coming together to create this pool of resources and skills would get us somewhere. The problem we have is we compete rather than collaborate.”

Prof Netshandama said the Sadc Heads of State Summit will create an opportunity for academics from the region and other players to shape the regional transformative agenda. —@nqotshili