Fundamental theories of the STEM Revolution
Continued from last week I WILL now turn to discussing the fundamentals of the STEM-driven Zimbabwean industrial revolution. But before doing so, I must provide clarity as regards the distinction between the 2016 A-level STEM Initiative and the STEMdriven Industrial Revolution of Zimbabwe. The 2016 A-level STEM Initiative is the first step of the STEM-driven Industrial Revolution of Zimbabwe. It is a very small element that demonstrates the potential of the big vision. It focuses on producing the first raw materials for stemitised universities.
In farming terms, this Initiative acts as a demonstration plot, while in research terms it can be equated to a “prototype”. It is the sparking plug of the bigger revolution. Its purpose is to ignite the revolution but not to sustain or execute it hoping that it will achieve the industrialisation of Zimbabwe on its own. In essence, this is a narrow focus on a small number of students being prepared for stemitised university degree programmes.
On the other hand, the STEM-driven Industrial Revolution of Zimbabwe is the actual industrial revolution, the real big dream of a future Zimbabwean Knowledge Economy.
To achieve this magnitude of a revolution, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development must be reconfigured to pursue a broad STEMbased education system. In other words, the science and technology component of this ministry must lead the country’s higher and tertiary education system as well as permeating every facet of human capital planning, development and training. STEMdriven Industrial Revolution of Zimbabwe is the ultimate socio-economic transformation that will emerge after the country has embraced cutting-edge technologies and research-driven innovation, creating unique competitive advantages for Zimbabwe. It is about honing the things that will make Zimbabwe’s industrial and economic base distinctive and highly competitive in global terms. STEM-driven Industrial Revolution of Zimbabwe will define the country’s future economic backbone in the digitised 21st Century. All other economic activities will then evolve and revolve around the defined economic backbone as shaped by a stemitised human capital. Planning and development of a national talent pipeline must be a function of the nation’s economic backbone.
The economic backbone of the STEMdriven Industrial Revolution of Zimbabwe shall emerge from currently existing or yet to emerge industry sector(s) depending on what the national STEM talent repository and talent pipeline will competently and expertly excel in.
However, leadership has the prerogative of shaping and directing the national talent pipeline in the direction where national needs beckon. It will have the capacity to create new products, devices, industries and markets for Zimbabwe.
It will enable the country to create demand for its products and services that will successfully compete on the global arena as they bear the national signature of excellence driven by the application of frontend technologies across all its sectors of the economy.
In this instalment I also intend to articulate two key essentials at play in the context of the discourse of the STEM-driven Industrial Revolution of Zimbabwe, and these are: defining the guiding vision; and the right legal and policy frameworks. Both of them underscore existence of a strong political will, a key ingredient of successful implementation of Government-led programmes.
1. The Guiding Vision for the STEM-driven Industrial Revolution of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe must industrialise. There is no question about that. The question is: How? Continued reliance on a predominantly extractive and labour intensive economic model holds no future for this country. It goes without saying that our current socioeconomic predicament is largely a function of the inherited yet historically flawed colonial education system, albeit with its own notable strengths. Every education system has its own defined aims and objectives. Although the purpose of this article is not to discuss the aims and objectives of the colonial era education philosophy, suffice it to point out that its purposes were to produce citizens with a worker mentality; not inventors or creators of goods and services, let alone scientific researchers, artisans, engineers and entrepreneurs geared to drive a sustainable modern-day industrialised economy.
It was a philosophy that produced African scholars and professionals who had a strong belief that they were mere job seekers; wired to always seek for employment from whiteowned industries. For that reason, our people continue to wait for others to create jobs for them instead of thinking to create industries and jobs for themselves and for their future generations.
However, history does not show any socioeconomic formation that has developed to sustainable levels without the active involvement and control of its own people. Generally, outsiders have their own economic and geopolitical interests which do not usually converge with those of the local populace.
So the onus of industrialising Zimbabwe rests with Zimbabweans. This is the vision that we must all pursue and do so relentlessly.
The Government has taken bold steps in coming up with two policy positions aimed at achieving sustainable economic growth which should lead to industrialisation. These are the industrialisation policy and the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset) economic blueprint.
Cognisant of the role human capital plays in the successful implementation of these two policies, President Robert Mugabe said, “There is need to equip learners with knowledge and values that guarantee economic growth and increased opportunities for employment creation; well-rounded citizens who are relevant nationally and competitive globally.”
This position laid down the vision for the country’s industrialisation as well as defining the caliber of human capital required for that historical task. Also, having recognized the inherent limitations of a non-scientific education system, in 2013, the President of Zimbabwe merged the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education and that of Science and Technology to form the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary, Science and Technology Development. Essentially, this was the turning point in the history of Zimbabwe, in which science and technology development had to assume a pivotal role in shaping the future of the country.
The merger of the two ministries ushered in a new dimension full of opportunities to redirect our human capital development strategies towards a sustainable economic growth path. 2. The Right Legal and Policy Frameworks The requisite legal framework has been in place since 1984. A brief discussion of the same will help to properly position the STEM story in the human capital development discourse of the country.
The Zimbabwe Manpower Planning and Development Act or the Act (Chapter 28:02) of 1984 (now revised in 1996), is an important piece of legislation which provides a clear model for the country’s human capital planning, development and training. Among other important elements, it provides for the establishment of the National Manpower Advisory Council (Namaco) which represents the interests of industry. The primary purpose of Namaco is to advise the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development on the technologydriven and evolving skills needs of industry.
The Act also provides for the establishment of the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) as a private, public and partnership (PPP) arrangement. Zimdef has the mandate to collect one percent (1%) training levy from all registered companies. The money is directed towards financing the development of skilled human capital for the Zimbabwean economy. The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development is the Zimdef Trustee. The Trustee is empowered by the Act to determine which areas to fund using Zimdef Funds, particularly those of a critical nature as regards human capital planning, developing and training for the country’s economy. The Act envisages the systematic development of a highly skilled human capital as a priority objective of the ministry.
Fredrick Mandizvidza is the Chief Executive Officer for the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development. The article represents personal views of the writer. He is a doctoral scholar of Technology Entrepreneurship and can be contacted on fmandizvidza@ zimdef.co.zw