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Precious Manomano-Herald Reporter

Zimbabwe is focused on developing the education sector as a tool for emancipation and national advancement through industrialisation and modernisation, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira has said. 

Speaking during the Harare Polytechnic graduation ceremony where 6 793 learners graduated with national certificates, national diplomas and higher national diplomas in different courses, Prof Murwira, who was represented by his deputy, Raymore Machingura, said education must teach people how to produce knowledge that lead to the eradication of hunger and poverty. 

He said the Government conducted appropriate legal frameworks to ensure effective implementation of the heritage-based Education 5.0 design, adding that the education system should improve the quality of people’s lives. 

“Education must cause industry to fulfil human needs. There is a need to develop industrial and commercial enterprises that satisfy the needs of our people,” said Prof Murwira. 

“Modernisation and industrialisation is our end in mind. We must remember that we inherited a colonially designed education system which trains people to work in an industry designed elsewhere, as workers. 

“The inherited colonial education produces workers and not entrepreneurs. Our strategies are now focused on developing our education as a tool for emancipation and national advancement through industrialisation and modernisation.” 

Prof Murwira said he was expecting to see Harare Polytechnic helping students to set up companies, adding that the college was already in Education 5.0 mode through a curriculum that emphasises skills development and productivity. 

Harare Polytechnic principal Engineer Tafadzwa Mudondo said skills and competencies were critical and central to economic development, innovation and industrialisation. 

He added that staff development was also critical, adding that they have embarked on exchange programmes with China to facilitate technology and knowledge transfer for the benefit of two countries. 

“All polytechnic staff went through capacity building workshops to enable them to restructure and configure their mental costumes so that they are aligned with the requisite tenets of NDS1 (the National Development Strategy 10, Education 5.0 philosophy and the amended Manpower Planning and Development. 

“Harare polytechnic was paired with China, Ningbo Polytechnic university to jointly develop and dovetail curricula to harness and harvest the benefits of the two system and facilitate knowledge transfer,” he said. 

The graduation ceremony consisted of graduation classes of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. 

The graduands were represented by 680 prize winners who attended physically while the others attended virtually as part of measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.