BE INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE, MUTATI CHALLENGES TERTIARY TRAINING INSTITUTIONS

TECHNOLOGY and Science Minister Felix Mutati has called for innovation in tertiary and research institutions by maximising internet availability.

Mr. Mutati says the internet is the new way of life in which learning institutions can provide quality education that will adequately prepare the future.

He said that there is need for tertiary institutions to be proactive and innovative by utilizing the availability of internet resources.

Mr Mutati said this when he commissioned the ‘ Taking Internet to Students’ Halls of Residence Initiative’ at Livingstone Institute of Business and Engineering Studies (LIBES) facilitated by the Zambia Research and Education Network (ZAMREN). Over the weekend.

He said that it was the desire of President Hakainde

Hichilema and the new administration of having the whole country connected to internet facilities.

Mr Mutati also challenged tertiary institutions in to emulate LIBES for being innovative and creative in taking advantage of the enabling environment that government has created.

And speaking at the same event, ZAMREN Board Chairperson Professor Anne Sikwibele said a lot of trades training institutes are encountering low uptake of the internet due to high taxation and lack of funding to pay internet services.

Prof Sikwibele has urged the government to consider waiving the excise duty on internet bandwidth and airtime to enable ZAMREN connect the service to more training institutes.

She said that the outbreak of Covid-19 has taught the country a lesson which requires the scaling up of the provisions of high speed internet capacities to learning institutions.