Tertiary students in key infrastructure development projects

MILLIONS of dollars are going to be saved as the Government has roped in tertiary students and graduates in relevant fields to undertake key infrastructure development projects in the country as it scales up the Education 5.0 model which places emphasis on innovation and industrialisation.

Prior to the development that is in line with President Mnangagwa’s “nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo,” philosophy and aims at availing opportunities and creating employment, the country used to pay private contractors even for small jobs that students could easily perform. The composite Education 5.0 demands the nation’s higher and tertiary education sector to teach, research and serve the community with emphasis on innovation and industrialisation.

Speaking to Sunday News, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Amon Murwira, said they have since dedicated all infrastructure development works within the ministry to students with some of the major works in the Southern region being undertaken by Bulawayo Polytechnic.

“We are between 70 and 80 percent completion with the student service centre at the National University of Science and

Technology (Nust). We have adopted a new way of doing things in our tertiary institutions. We have gotten rid of private contractors and we have construction being led by the university’s Department of Works and Estates which is being assisted by Bulawayo Polytechnic. If you go there today you will see Bulawayo Poly students busy doing all the balustrades. We have also brought in the Industrial Training and Trade Testing Department who are the apprentices,” said Prof Murwira.

The ministry has also taken advantage of the growth and developmental projects being undertaken within its ministry and ensured all critical skills needed come from tertiary students.

“Perfection comes from practice and we expect active involvement of students who are still training and those who have already finished in all construction projects that we have in Plumtree, Binga, Hwange and Chivi. The best teacher is implementation, it is experience, that’s where we make our mistakes and that is where we make our perfection,” said Prof Murwira.

He hinted that the ministry was not limiting opportunities to tertiary students only but involved other youths and people from communities to ensure that they get requisite skills and experience as well as earn decent livelihoods.

“These projects are also being done by youths and people in the community that we recruit through the skills outreach programme where for example if one wants to be a bricklayer, we will trade test you and you will have a certificate.”

Prof Murwira said by harnessing local skills within the ministry, they were moving in the philosophical tide of President Mnangagwa when he said a nation is built by its citizens.

“We have decided that we can build such sophisticated infrastructure on our own. We have realised that people have a lot of confidence but we are not giving them a chance to do so. We are undertaking very complex structures and I can give an example of Gwabalanda Hostel at Hillside Teachers’ College which was burnt down and was repaired by students of Bulawayo Polytechnic. Our job as a ministry is to inspire confidence and give our students a chance. You can take the example of sanitisers where we gave people who understood chemistry within our institutions a chance to produce and it was successful,” said Prof Murwira.

He added that the coming in of tertiary students as well as other youths from communities will not only benefit them in the acquisition of skills and knowledge, but will help build their confidence towards the broader national, regional and global undertakings. @ nyeve14