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Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
President Mugabe has challenged tertiary institutions to focus more on training graduates, who can practically apply their technical knowledge in various fields that help to develop the economy.

Addressing thousands of zanu-pf supporters attending the ninth Presidential Youth Interface Rally at White City Stadium in Bulawayo on Saturday, President Mugabe said theoretical education was not helping the country much.

“Yesterday (Friday), after I had concluded the exercise of capping the graduates at Nust, I wrote in my usual book yavanoti ndiite remarks kuti aah ndinotenda kuti Nust yadzokera kumandate yayo yokuita science and technology,” he said.

“But ndakati aah, handina kumboona engineering candidates. Zvikanzi aah, naVice Chancellor, aah but no, no, varipo vanosevenza kumaindustries. No, that’s not enough. That’s not what I mean. I want to see engineers; people who can make tractors, people who can mechanically produce the products we need for agriculture, even construct an aircraft.

“Ndozvatiri kuda. Practical application of your engineering education. Kwete yekunonyora examination muchipasa. Theory. No. We want, now, the application of theory to practice. So, our universities must be alert. We need them to go to institutions where there is now practical application of engineering disciplines and not the theoretical aspect that we have pursued in the past.

“The first graduation ceremony we had was at HIT, the Harare Institute of Technology. Eh, uko uri kuona kuti vakomana vari kuita zvatinoda zviri mugwara. Vari kutarisa kuti kuagriculture ndezvipi zvinodiwa? Mishonga inodiwa ndeipi tiwongorore. Kuma industry ndeapi mainstrument anodiwa

“And you have young people working to construct structure, implements we need in our industry. Ndoyatinoda engineering yakadaro, kwete yekunyora maB muchipasa chete.”

Turning to this summer cropping season, President Mugabe said the nation should focus on producing more grain, enough to feed livestock as well.

He said livestock products, especially sheep, were on high demand in the Arab world and people should take livestock business seriously.

“Tiri kuenda iye zvino to the second phase yeagricultural programme yedu, but we have enhanced it,” he said. “VekuCabinet vanoyeuka zvatakati gore rino tinosungirwa kuita. Takambotarisira kuti mvura ichanaya, asi ndakanzwa kuti nezuro yakanaya zvakakomba kudivi reHarare, etcetera.

“So, we must gear ourselves for that. Tinoda kuti magrains awande. Akawandisisa, zvipfuyo zvedu tinoda kuti tizvipewo kudya kwatinorima, kwasanogaiwa, kwasano sanganiswa nezvimwe zvakadaro. Zvinoita kuti mombe dzive nenyama yakanaka, nguruve dzive nenyama yakanaka, nehuku — aye atinoti maroad-runners aye ane mapellets anokwaniswa kuitwa nesu kuti dzinge dzakasimba kwete kutatarika sezvinoita twumwe tujongwe tuchitadza kumhanya, hatidi kudaro.

“Towanzawo nguruve. I am happy kuti vakawanda vave nenguruve. Hwai aah dzichiri shoma. Totarisa kunze kuti mamarkets atingave nawo ndeapi takada kurima hwai. KumaArab ndochidyo chavo chehwai, nyama yehwai. Vamwe havadi yehwai; vanoda mbudzi. Saka zviviri izvi hatizvirime isusu. Tinongochengeta zvipfuyo tichiti zvinokura zvoga; zvinodya musango, mbudzi dzinodyawo musango mashizha dzichikwira matombo, zvichidaro izvo.

“Aiwa ngatiitei dzekuchengeta sekuchengeta kwatinoita mombe dzedu. Mombe dzeduwo dzive nemachengeterwo akanaka adzinoitwawo sezvandataura; kudzirimira huswa, kudzirimira lucerne. Vane madairy sesu kuona kuti tiri kupa greenery, greens to the dairy cows kuti dziburitsewo mukaka wakanaka. Izvozvo ndozvezvimwe zvatinofunga kuti zvingaitwe, tingaite pamwaka unowo.”