MINISTRY OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE NEW DISPENSATION
1. Introduction
Modern societies increasingly require universities to undertake transferring knowledge to society. This dissemination plays an integral role in furthering economic growth and thereby pursuing socio-economic goals. The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science, Innovation and Technology Development underpinning principle is that knowledge that does not result into goods and services is knowledge that is not useful at all in advancing Zimbabwe’s strategic vision of becoming a competitive, modernised and industrialised nation by 2030.
Traditionally Higher and Tertiary Education has three missions, i.e., teaching, research and community service (consultancy), the so called HTE 3.0. However, in order to deliver a competitive, modernised and industrialised Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science, Innovation and Technology Development led a transformation of HTE 3.0 to Education 5.0 by giving Higher and Tertiary Education two additional missions, i.e., Innovation and Industrialisation.
2 Policy Priorities
To deliver its mandate, the Ministry is guided by the following major Policy Priorities:
1. HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION
Develop an inclusive Higher and Tertiary Education system that is rooted in heritage in its delivery of goods and services e.g. Agricultural and Mineral heritage;
Facilitating learning environment through provision of adequate infrastructure and student access to financial resources;
Strengthening the learning and application of Science through support of Science Teachers, Science learning facilities, Apprenticeships and Industrial Training Colleges;
Develop and uphold a healthy High and Tertiary Education ecosystem where institutions stick to their mandates (Universities, Polytechnics, Teachers Colleges and Industrial Training Colleges); Develop responsive curricula based on explicit bodies of knowledge;
Implement a programmatic approach to Education, Science and Technology Development;
2. INNOVATION
3. INDUSTRIALISATION
4. GOVERNANCE
These guiding policy priorities ushered in a new paradigm in Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development for the realization of our national Vision 2030.
In order to achieve the above policy priorities, The Ministry adopted a programmatic approach to implement Education 5.0
3 Education 5.0
3.1 Establishment of Innovation Hubs at State Universities
The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development established Hi-Tech Innovation hubs at six universities namely the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), Zimbabwe National Defence University (ZNDU), Midlands State University and Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT). These are set to benefit university students by providing the necessary environment to create high-tech business enterprises necessary for the new economy. This initiative will also support the young entrepreneurs in the search for scientific solutions to national, regional and international challenges and lead towards the commercialisation of research results by the creation of vibrant incubation hubs nationwide.
3.1.1 University of Zimbabwe Innovation Hub
UZ Innovation Hub was divided into a wet lab section and dry lab section, the hub boost of approximately 2,800 square meters of lab, office and meeting room space. It has approximately 200 square meters of workshop space and a 350-seater auditorium. Using this space, the hub can incubate up to 100 different projects from different disciplines at any given moment. Currently projects cover fields such as heritage preservation & promotion, precision agriculture, agricultural engineering, software developments, health, infectious disease genomics, precision medicine, artificial intelligence and smart settlements 3.1.2 Midlands State University Innovation Hub
3.1.3 CUT Innovation Hub 3.1.4 NUST Innovation Hub
The innovation Hub currently has two main Projects housed at the completed building. The Applied Genetic Testing Centre (AGTC) and the Software Development Laboratory. The Innovation Hub has begun the 3D printing of Face Shields under the PPE production Project. NUST, through the Innovation Hub, has started manufacturing 3D-printed face shields and N95 facemasks, as the University continues to support the national effort against the Covid-19 pandemic. This new initiative builds on the successful NUST Covid19 response Initiative that includes the manufacturing of a Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) certified hand sanitiser, Nustiser and provision of equipment and technical expertise in the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Covid-19 testing services at Mpilo Central Hospital.
3.2 Establishment of Industrial Parks
The Ministry is inculcating a new reoriented philosophy that industries do not just mushroom, but originate in the brain, through the systematic conversion of scientific and technological innovation knowledge into goods and services using the available heritage (natural resources) based endowments at each and every specific location. The Cabinet approved that 6 000 to 200 000 square metres of land be allocated by each local authority for the purposes of establishing industrial parks. To this end, the Ministry had already started Industrial Parks Construction work at the Institutions of Higher Learning.
3.2.1 UZ Industrial Park
This is a programme aimed at developing novel products (food, feed, non-food products) from finger millet, pearl millet and sorghum as a way to promote the production and consumption of cereals for food and nutrition security in Zimbabwe.
CUT Industrial Park
Through Artificial Insemination at the Chinhoyi University of Technology Industrial Park, farmers can access superior genetics and reproduction services at least cost in order to increase and improve the national cattle herd of Zimbabwe.
Chinhoyi University of Technology had already started construction of Cattle feeding Pens in support of the Cattle Breeding Project (CBP) that was launched in 2019 by His Excellency CDE E.D Mnangagwa. These Cattle Feeding pens will be used for Cattle fattening programme for Livestock Production.
3.3 ZINGSA
Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency was established under the Research Act [Chapter 10:22] and was launched by His Excellency CDE E.D. Mnangagwa in 2018 to support the development and application of Geospatial and Space Technologies for Advancement of Zimbabwe’s Modernisation and Industrialisation Agenda.
3.3.1 ZINGSA Projects
ZIMSAT-1 Satellite Project; ZINGSA entered into a cooperative research agreement with Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan to build and operate the first national Zimbabwe Earth Observation Satellite (ZIM-SAT1) for enhancing productivity in critical sectors of the economy: agriculture, mining, transport, energy, weather and climate and disaster management. Under this cooperation, three Engineers were send to Japan to study Satellite Engineering at PhD and MSc level and build ZIM-SAT1. The ZIMSAT-1 Main Design Review was done and completed in October 2020.
ZINGSA Research and Technologies Application Projects;
The following Programmes are underway;
I. Produce a revised agro-ecological regions map of Zimbabwe. An Agro-ecological Zone App was produced and approved by the cabinet. One can connect to the application using a the link on Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.agro zim.aezim
II. Development of the Zimbabwe National Mining Cadastre Information Management System for use by Ministry of Mines and Mining Development (40% complete) III. Zimbabwe Fertiliser soil matching project (95 % completed)
IV. Geospatial Capability for Quantifying Solar And Biomass Output and Distribution Over Zimbabwe (90% complete) V. Mapping A1 And A2 Farms Through Satellite Imagery (50% complete)
VI. Wildlife Conservation In Zimbabwe’s National Parks and Conservancies (70% complete)
3.4 HPC
Zimbabwe Centre for High Performance Computing was launched in 2015. The ZCHPC is governed using the Statutory Instrument (IS) 168 of 2019. From the Second Republic, the Centre had made tremendous advances in Human Capital Development in the following Domains;
I. Artificial Intelligence; II. Financial Analysis; III. Weather Forecast; IV. Drug Discovery; and V. Computational Chemistry
The Centre had managed to connect above 70% of the Universities in Zimbabwe to be able to use its computing resources. The ZCHPC phase two building was completed for the setting up of phase two high-end computing power.
3.5 Medical and Industrial Gas Plants
The Government of Zimbabwe as part of its new industrialisation thrust has embarked on the medical and industrial gases programme to make the country self-sufficient in oxygen and acetylene gases. Currently, the country annually imports 3,929.32 tonnes of oxygen with a market value of US$7,937,226.40 as well as 115.7 tonnes of acetylene gas with a market value of US$1,172,964.93..
The Verify Engineering medical and industrial gases project at Feruka in Mutare has just passed the construction phase and is now moving on to the operationalization, which will see the production and distribution of locally produced gas on the market. The plant at Feruka has an installed capacity to produce in excess of 11 Million cubic meters (15,840 tonnes) of oxygen as well as 792,000 m3 (863 tonnes) of acetylene annually, which will satisfy the current national needs and remove the need for imports.
3.6 Biotechnology
Progress has been made in the following areas:
3.6.1 National Biotechnology Authority (NBA)
Establishment of a Genomics Centre Production of virus free planting materials of tuber crops Production of commercial crop at the NBA farm unit at Horticulture Research Centre
Zimbabwe Biotechnology Enterprises Survey nationwide Production of virus free Irish potato seed under Associated Tissue Culture Company Pvt Ltd
Establishment of Marula fruit processing plant in Mwenezi District
3.7 Z imbabwe National Qualifications Framework
The MHTEISTD developed a harmonised and standardised National Qualifications Framework (ZNQF) programme that meets Regional and International standards. The ZNQF represents a national effort of integrating education into a unified structure with clear pathways. The ZNQF facilitates the transfer of credits and free movement of learners between various institutions within or outside Zimbabwe through vertical as well as horizontal progression pathways. Vertical Progression allows Recognition of Prior Learning, which eliminates unnecessary repetition and duplication of material familiar to the students. Horizontal comparability of education and training qualifications align all qualifications through the development of Minimum Bodies of Knowledge (MBKs), for all qualifications. The ZNQF makes Minimum Bodies of Knowledge, Qualification Standards and Skills Proficiency Schedules mandatory for all qualifications across the educational sectors in Zimbabwe as applicable, all done in consultation with subject/programme/trade panels.
3.8 National Critical Skills Audit
In order for Zimbabwe to realise a middle-income economy by 2030, the Government of Zimbabwe though the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development conducted a National Critical Skills Audit in 2018. The NCSA report of 2018 was successfully launched and accepted by Government, Industry and Academia. The report is widely applied in all institutions of higher learning to improve and achieve the Education 5.0 requirements.
The National Critical Skills Audit(NCSA) of 2018 managed to Identify the current skills, skills gaps, anticipated skills shortages, redundancies, skills surpluses, future skills and emerging skills trends that Zimbabwe has and requires for industrialisation and mordernisation agenda.
3.9 Response to the COVID 19 Pandemic
In response to the COVID 19 Pandemic, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation Science and Technology Development through its State Universities has successfully implemented priority projects for the fight against COVID 19 Pandemic. These projects were anchored on heritage-based philosophy that utilised cutting-edge, competitive, universal scientific and technological knowledge to produce quality relevant health personnel care products and services these included personnel protective equipment, sanitizers and ventilators.
Deliberate efforts have been made by Ministry to consolidate the State Universities’ manufacturing projects to fight against COVID-19. The successful implementation of COVID-19 response interventions has demonstrated that if sufficiently capacitated through capitalization, State Universities are able to commercially produce goods and services to satisfy local community challenges and international needs.
3.10 E- Learning Facility for Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions
The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development had established the E-Learning Facility for Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions. In year 2020, five (5) servers with a combined capacity to service all 48 institutions were procured and handed to five hosting Universities, which are UZ, MSU, GZU, NUST and HIT for the deployment of the E-Learning Materials to be accessed by all students in the Higher and Tertiary Education System of Zimbabwe.