Economic challenges prove opportunities exist: Minister

GOVERNMENT has said challenges obtaining in the economy are proof that there are opportunities that have not been tapped into to transform the country’s fortunes and heritagebased programming can address some of the problems.

Speaking at the United College of Education (UCE) graduation ceremony in Bulawayo on Thursday, Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said the country can leverage on its education to solve some of its challenges.

Prof Murwira was the guest of honour at the college’s 51st graduation ceremony where 723 students graduated with diplomas in education.

It was revealed that the college had churned out more than 17 000 teachers since its inception.

“Zimbabwe is full of opportunities and the higher and tertiary education is creating the capability that results in an industrialised Zimbabwe, a modernised Zimbabwe through us. Zimbabwe does not have enough food for itself, that’s a problem but I think that’s an opportunity. Zimbabwe does not produce enough medicine, Zimbabwe exports patients and so there are opportunities here, lots of opportunities. One cannot say a country has no opportunities when it has potholes on the roads. You can’t say a country has no opportunities when it is importing its own food,” said Prof Murwira.

The Minister said it’s time for the country to use its natural resources to transform its economic fortunes.

He said his Ministry would spearhead the country’s transformational agenda through providing knowledge-based solutions.

Prof Murwira said while the country’s literacy levels have been celebrated, the ability to read and write has not done the country any good in terms of solving its problems.

He said his Ministry adopted Education 5.0 so that education can bring industrial transformation to the country.

“The concern which we have already addressed is the issue that for a long time our education has been focusing on literacy which we have achieved in a very big way with over 94 percent literacy levels. But this time we are moving to stage number two where we are saying that we have got our literacy, our writing and reading skills now we have to convert that reading into the modernisation and industrialisation of this country.

“That’s why we have moved on to Education 5.0 which emphasises that our education as a country should work for us. How does it work for us? By creating wealth from our heritage. How? Using the best scientific knowledge, using the best technological knowledge, using the best social knowledge to take advantage of the resources that we have,” he said.

Speaking during the same event, University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo, said teachers should be futuristic in their practice.

Teaching diplomas in the country’s teachers’ colleges are issued under the guidance of University of Zimbabwe.

Prof Mapfumo said there should be a departure from the past where teaching was characterised by passive learners and a dominant teacher.

“As young practitioners of the 21st century teaching and learning we need to encourage them to look at teaching as a creative exercise in which the skills of innovation and technological savvy are expected. This is practically relevant as we march towards fulfilment of our national vision to become a middle-income economy by 2030,” said prof Mapfumo.—@nqotshili.