adminThe Herald, July 5, 1996
THE Zimbabwe Foundation for Education with Production director of employment creation has urged school-leavers to make use of entrepreneurship courses being offered by his organisation.
Addressing participants who had completed a two-week, competency-based economies through formation of entrepreneurs course at Magunje growth point in Karoi recently, Mr Mike Fungati urged the participants to establish small enterprises in their respective areas using the skills they had acquired.
He said the courses were specifically designed to equip school leavers with relevant skills, which they could use to venture into small scale enterprises.
Mr Fungati also said ZIMFEP was concerned about the economic deprivation of women, adding that the organisation was designing a special programme which would help women start and manage their projects.
The department of entrepreneurship development training for potential and existing entrepreneurs was geared to train entrepreneurs in business rehabilitation and expansion, marketing development and technical skills.
The ZIMFEP head trainer in competency-based economies through formation of entrepreneurs, Mr Andrew Mukutiri, said their courses equipped graduates with key skills.
He said 70 percent of people who had attended entrepreneurship courses had been financed by some commercial banks and had already started their own viable enterprises.
The graduates had enhanced their quality of life and the economic development of the nation.
Lessons for today
For nearly a century, the colonial government was content with delivering an inferior education to African children in pre-independent Zimbabwe.
After Independence, the new Government followed a robust programme to equip youngsters with life skills.
Colleges like Belvedere Technical Teachers College came on board along with many technical and vocational colleges that galvanised many sons and daughters of the nation to be technically adept.
The late Sister Janice McLaughlin, V. Nhundu, P. Mlambo and Fay Chung wrote a useful book on ZIMFEP – “Education with Production in Zimbabwe: The Story of ZIMFEP.”
Some of the elements in the education 5.0 pillars are found in the ZIMFEP model, considering that it desired to make people creative and innovative; self-employed people, not job-seekers.
Online Reporter