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Minister Hungwe

Abigail Mawonde Herald Reporter
Private sector involvement in providing youths with life skills is critical for their development, a Cabinet minister has said.

Minister of State for Liaising on Psychomotor Activities in Education, Cde Josiah Hungwe, said this during a tour on Monday of model psychomotor projects at Epworth Secondary School.

“We welcome these private interventions and co-operation with Government to capacitate our youth with life transformative practical skills,” he said.

“I am told the projects being undertaken at this school focus on equipping teachers and school pupils with sound practical, agricultural, financial and entrepreneurial skills.

“Therefore, I sincerely wish to applaud the partnerships between the school, the Zimbabwe Democratic Teachers Union and private organisations in driving these projects.”

Minister Hungwe said his ministry fully supported such initiatives as they empowered the youth to be self-sustaining in adult life.

Such projects, he said, would boost job creation capacity and help fight poverty.

“It is therefore heartening to be here to witness the efforts of teachers, pupils, ZDTU and private partners who are already imbued with the approach to education that we are advocating,” he said.

Minister Hungwe said against challenges of increasing numbers of the unemployment, it was vital to come up with projects that fostered economic empowerment.

“There is need for the youth to be trained to meet specific individual and national employment needs and to be equipped with relevant psychomotor entrepreneurial and life skills that enable them to be self-sustaining and to contribute to national economic development,” he said.

“The country needs cadres who are able to contribute to national economic development for competitiveness in the 21st century global village.”

The projects being undertaken at the school include poultry, fishery, rabbit rearing, gardening and mushroom cultivation.

Minister Hungwe urged schools to put into practice the old adage of teaching people to fish rather than giving them fish.