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Zvamaida Murwira-Senior Reporter

President Mnangagwa, who is Chancellor of all State universities, yesterday capped a record 6 778 graduates at the University of Zimbabwe, with the batch becoming the first products of the Second Republic’s Heritage-Based Education 5.0 that was launched in 2020.

The Head of State and Government presided over the 43rd UZ graduation ceremony where he capped students with Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Philosophy, post-graduate and undergraduates in various disciplines and faculties that include law, medicine, engineering, media, economics, agriculture, among others.

President Mnangagwa is welcomed by University of Zimbabwe Law Lecturer Professor Lovemore Madhuku on arrival for the institution’s 43rd graduation ceremony yesterday.

In his address, UZ Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo said yesterday’s graduation was special as it marked the first university and national cohort of graduates born out of the Heritage-based Education 5.0 philosophy.

“This marks the full cycle of implementation of the new programmes, which you launched in December 2020. Congratulations,” said Prof Mapfumo.

President Mnangagwa poses for a picture with Buhera West legislator Tafadzwa Mugwadi (left) who graduated with a Bachelor of Laws Honours Degree and NRZ board chair Michael Madiro (second from left) who together with senior Government official Collins Mungate graduated with a Master of Laws Degree in Commercial Law.

“The graduands before you are equipped with new skills sets and competencies that will proffer knowledge and technology-based solutions tailored to meet the needs of our people, while able to re-imagine the future, and address 21st Century challenges.

“We are confident that they were adequately nurtured to be game-changers in the job creation matrix and innovation space in pursuit of our national industrialisation and modernisation agenda.”

Prof Mapfumo said demand for the UZ as a university of choice continued to soar with the institution receiving over 17 200 undergraduate applications this year against its enrolment capacity of 6 000.

He outlined several achievements registered by the institutions of higher learning in the area of teaching and learning that include the fact that it has now successfully modularised all its teaching and learning programmes, languages and ICTs are now fully integrated across the UZ’s 11 faculties without exception and that it has hosted visiting professors/lecturers from across the globe, among other achievements.

Graduates celebrate at the University of Zimbabwe’s 43rd Graduation ceremony in Harare yesterday.

“Your Excellency and Chancellor, going forward the University focuses on increasing its capacity and quality of teaching and learning laboratories, workshops and field sites, and amplification of its originated work-related learning model to leverage growing support from industry and the business community,” he said.

Following President Mnangagwa’s commissioning of the three UZ Agro-Processing and Industrial Plants in September 2023, Prof Mapfumo said the UZ has since optimised productivity of the three plants and was now producing over 67 products, goods and services that have entered the market.

The UZ, said Prof Mapfumo, is developing out-grower schemes with farmers in various districts to further develop value chains anchored on sweet potato, soya bean, and maize, which are the major raw materials for their agro-industrial processing plants.

This is expected to provide a ready market for farmers.

Sunday Mail journalist Debra Matabvu graduated with a Masters of Arts Degree in Multi-Media Production Designs and Systems yesterday.

Through the Innovation Hub Programmes, the UZ has registered 28 student-led start-up companies spanning from agriculture and health, food production, mining and mineral resources, ICT, energy and power, tourism to transport network systems.

Prof Mapfumo said seven of the start-ups were now under commercialisation.

Turning to the graduation ceremony, Prof Mapfumo said of the 6 778 graduates, 16 were conferred PhDs, 11 MPhils, 1 432 Masters and 5 319 undergraduates.

“A total of 3 381 are graduating with STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Maths) programmes. Among the graduands are 327 engineers, 898 medical specialists including 200 doctors, 16 dentists, 83 pharmacists, 256 lawyers, 19 geologists and 1 290 scientists including 307 agricultural scientists, 91 biologists, 74 geologists,” he said.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority head of communications Tinashe Farawo (left) yesterday graduated with a Bachelor of Substantive Laws Degree yesterday.

“This year, there are more males than females at undergraduate level, unlike the previous three years. This implies the male species is no longer threatened, at least at undergraduate level because we still have more women at PhD level.”

Among those that graduated yesterday was National Railways of Zimbabwe chairperson and former deputy minister, Cde Mike Madiro who graduated with a Master of Laws degree in commercial law, Buhera West legislator Cde Tafadzwa Mugwadi, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Mr Takunda Mugaga, former Chegutu West MP Cde Dexter Nduna all of whom were conferred with Bachelor of Laws Honours degrees.

The Herald correspondent, Trust Freddy, was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Journalism, Media and Broadcasting.

Zimpapers staffers including Debra Matabvu of The Sunday Mail graduated with Master of Arts degree in Multi-Media Production Designs and Systems. She was awarded the degree with distinction and a book prize.

Others from The Herald are Trust Freddy who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Journalism, Media and Broadcasting, and Chenai Museta who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film Radio and Television Production.

Some graduates received honours and awards, including Christine Nyasha Gunhu and Wisdom Makaza, who were the Best Overall Female and the Best Overall Male students in the undergraduate category and got the Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Chancellor’s Award with a prize money of US$1 000 each.

Four more students received the Dr E.D. Mnangagwa Chancellor’s Discipline Specific Awards with a prize money of US$500 each.

Zimpapers staffer Chenai Museta was among the Bachelor of Arts Honours in Film, Radio and Television Production graduates at UZ yesterday.

These are Spiwe Chahwanda (Bachelor of Laws Honours Degree), Believe Sigauke (Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering), Sean Oates (Bachelor of Veterinary Science Honours Degree) and Tendai Magumo (Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Financial Mathematics)

Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, other Cabinet ministers, legislators, Vice Chancellors of other universities, academics and business leaders were among the dignitaries who witnessed the ceremony.