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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief

GOVERNMENT has harmonised the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Systems, making it easy for students to accumulate credits in one institution and transfer them to another institution, a Cabinet minister has said.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said the new national qualifications framework will increase the accessibility, efficiency and relevance of the country’s higher education sector within and outside the country.

Prof Murwira said this while officially opening the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education, Local and International Bench marking of the Zimbabwe Minimum Bodies of Knowledge and Skills workshop, at the Midlands State University (MSU) in Gweru yesterday.

He said the Minimum Bodies of Knowledge and Skill, Qualification Standards and Skills Proficiency shall support countrywide mobility of learners and engender the comparability of educational qualifications.

Prof Murwira said all key sectors of basic education, technical and vocational education and higher education were required to ensure horizontal comparability of all qualifications under their purview.

“Similar programmes must have 70-80 percent overlap and standardised nomenclature,” he said.

“No fancy names of programmes for no results. All degrees must have clear bodies and knowledge and outcome. Those without outcome will extinct themselves.

“Furthermore, through the Credit Accumulation and Transfer System, students can accumulate credits in one institution and easily transfer them to another institution as credit accumulation and transfer systems have been harmonised.”

Prof Murwira said the implementation of the Zimbabwe National Qualifications Framework (ZNQF) will ensure quality in education and training enhances national and international mobility of graduates and workers through increased recognition of the value and comparability of Zimbabwean qualifications.

Prof Murwira said human capital when well-designed led to national capability that enables the achievement of the national strategic intent.

“Our national strategic intent is to modernise and industrialise our nation using its human capital, which is its education,” he said.

“Human capital when well designed leads to a national capability that enables the achievement of the national strategic intent.

“President Mnangagwa enunciated on our behalf Vision 2030 of Zimbabwe which aims to make the country a middle income economy. Our task as Higher and Tertiary Education is to map how this is going to happen by developing an appropriate and well-thought national capability based on a sound human capital design.

“We have good thoughts for Zimbabwe being an upper middle income economy at peace with itself and at peace with the rest of the world through its higher and tertiary education.”

Prof Murwira said Zimbabwe’s development can only happen when the design of the country’s education and its underlying philosophy are sound and credible.

He said for the country to industrialise it needed an alternative or an improved higher and tertiary education design.