‘Afford all students access to tertiary education’

THE high number of students graduating at tertiary institutions is the outcome of Government’s deliberate effort to afford more citizens access to higher education, which equips them with skills to add value to the economy.

This was said by Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education chief executive Professor Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo during the Zimbabwe Institute of Strategic Thinking (ZIST) annual conference held in Nyanga last week.

“On the issues raised here about graduate inferiority from one university to the other, as well as the issue of mass production of graduates, we have to understand that the participation of people in higher education in Zimbabwe is actually lower than in countries such as Botswana and others,” he said.

“The idea is to increase the number of people who go through our universities.

“At one time, our only university back then required one to have 15 points to enrol.

“But who said 15 points is a predictive validity for what one has to achieve academically?

“Who said only 15 pointers should attain a university education?

“We want to increase the participation of our people in higher education.

“The ‘A’ Level system is an anachronism.

“It is colonially inherited from the British education system.

“Who said Lower Sixth and Upper Six thare a predictive validity to go to university?

“If you go to the United States of America, there is no Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth.

“This is the same thing with a number of countries.”

Speaking at the same event, The Sunday Mail editor Victoria Ruzvidzo said as the country gravitates towards the attainment of Vision 2030, the media was expected to act as a catalyst for attracting foreign direct investment, entrepreneurial development and other facets critical under the project.

“We, as the media, are in the business of agenda setting,” she said.

“The media is known for shaping opinion; therefore, it is incumbent upon the media to showcase what the nation has and build a positive opinion on what Zimbabwe stands for.

“This will go a long way in attracting foreign direct investment into the country and ensure attainment of Vision 2030.

“I remember the President saying Vision 2030 can actually be achieved earlier, that is, in 2028.

“In this matrix, the media has a key role to play in advancing and promoting brand Zimbabwe.”

Ruzvidzo lamented the polarisation in the local media industry.

“It is sad that in most cases, we forget that we are Zimbabweans first before we become journalists,” she said.

“This is the reason we have sections of the media that see nothing good in any Government programme or policy.”

The polarisation, she said, was extreme and needed to be tamed “especially when it comes to issues of national interest and national pride”.

The 2023 edition of the annual ZIST conference was attended by deputy ministers, senior Government officials, financial experts, heads of parastatals and captains of industry.