UoA POISED TO INJECT MISSING INGREDIENT IN MAKING VISION 2030 A REALITY
By DAVIS MULENGA “The missing ingredient in making Vision 2030 a reality is investment in a new set of skills for both private and public sector workers.” That statement by Christine Mushibwe, Vice Chancellor of the University of Africa (UoA), ignites the fundamental question of how to go about to build a critical mass of new skills.
The Vision 2030, said to be Zambia’s ever written long-term socioeconomic plan, sets out aspirations of the nation to attain middle-income status by 2030. It articulates national and sectorial goals of reaching that end. The Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP), unveiled in 2017, and running through to 2021, sets the ball into motion by focusing on diversification and sustainable growth and elimination of poverty and hunger coupled by improving human capital and creating a conducive governance environment.
The fact that education, at all levels, can be a powerful tool in promoting sustainable development has long been recognised by nations. Matter of fact, the United Nations (UN) declared 2005 – 14 as the decade of Education for Sustainable Development, with the objective of integrating the principles and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning, and appointed UNESCO as the lead implementing agency.
Within the context of the role of education in promoting sustainable development, it is important to underscore the vital role higher education as the last mile before skills reach the industry. This explains the growing demand for higher education as the industry demands new skills to survive in a constantly and rapidly changing environment. Projections indicate that as many as 150 million people world-wide seeking higher education.
“By implication the higher education system must be oriented towards producing, job-specific, flexible technical and vocational skills. For instance, the huge push on the part of government to shift economic growth away from mining to higher-value-added agricultural industrialisation demands a whole new set of skills in both the private and public sectors,” says Dr Mushibwe.
The inherent question is how can this be achieved without major disruptions to the business of public and private entities? The question becomes even more challenging when one considers the cost implication.
Let’s us illustrate the challenge by considering how much it would cost in hard dollars and lost man-hours to up-grade the skills of public service workers. Undoubtedly, the cost would be huge and unsustainable, and inevitably undercut the objective of raising productivity, a fundamental step to sustained socioeconomic growth.
A landmark partnership between UoA and Zambia Union of Government and Allied Workers (ZUGAW) provides the impetus critically needed to build new skills needed to push forward the 2030 agenda.
constraints such as lack of finance that keeps civil servants from bridging the relevant skill gap. In addition, it ensures minimal disruption as targeted groups are upskilled without minimal disruption to their work.
“Under this partnership, we will give 75% bursaries to GRZ workers, and other incentives that included flexible payments of K650 per month. In upholding our philosophy of empowering people through education, the university would still provide 25% bursaries to non-members of ZUGAW,” says Dr Mushibwe.
“By taking this unique path, we are confident of creating a snowball energy of building and maintaining momentum towards 2030 at minimal cost while opening vast and flexible access to a large underserved segment of our population,” she adds.
It is important to note that while higher education played a vital role in national development and uplifting the lives of people, there are still a great number of people not able to access due to the significant barriers, including lack of money. Further, the long-distance learning model opened vast access to higher education for a hitherto underserved segment.
Once a poor and unwelcome stepchild within the higher education sector, distance learning is increasingly making it easier to access education, especially for vulnerable groups that constituted women in the majority.
Nowhere is this boon more evident than in the fact that the majority of graduates at the university were women. Of note women made up more than 60% at this year’s landmark 5th graduation ceremony of the university.
While acknowledging that legislative and other advocacy measures had played a huge role in empowering women, it is only through education that they would really be empowered as it gives them access to opportunities and resources.
Faced with barriers that included family commitments, lack of partner support and living in isolated areas, long-distance education was proving to be a boon for women. “The key benefit of distance learning is that a large underserved segment of our Zambian population, especially women who are heavily constrained not only by lack of money but other factors, doubly can now learn at their own time and place,” says Dr Mushibwe.
She says that as more women are empowered through acquisition of new skills, there would be a positive ripple effect on the focus for diversified growth through agriculture where they form the bulk of small-scale farmers.
It is undisputed that in rural Zambia, the percentage of women who depend on agriculture for their livelihood is as high as 80%. That figure does not take into account for women’s role in livestock, fisheries and other ancillary forms of food production. However, women still disadvantaged economically. As such attaining higher education would overturn the negative equation.
Equally important, UoA is investing heavily in technology to impact women and other learners in isolated places.
“Technology can improve performance only when it is used to achieve specific education goals. That is what is inspiring us to apply digital tools in the mix of our learning approaches.”
The resolve by UoA and ZUGAW to improve the skill base of workers raises hopes of the nation to soon start plucking the long hanging fruits of Vision 2030.
It is undisputed that in rural Zambia, the percentage of women who depend on agriculture for their livelihood is as high as 80%. That figure does not take into account for women’s role in livestock, fisheries and other ancillary forms of food production. However, women still disadvantaged economically. As such attaining higher education would overturn the negative equation.