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Whinsley Masara, recently in Victoria Falls
INVESTING in research and innovation is one of the most effective ways of accelerating the country’s socio-economic development, a senior government official has said.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, Ambassador Machivenyika Mapuranga said this at a research and innovation conference hosted by the Bulawayo Polytechnic in Victoria Falls on Friday.

The conference’s aim was to assess the extent to which technical and vocational education (TVET) can successfully drive the nation’s socio-economic transformation.

The conference was held under the theme: “Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) for socio-economic transformation through the value addition beneficiation.”

“TVET offers a direct route to socio-economic transformation through value addition and beneficiation as it increases the productivity of individuals, enhances the profitability of industry and consolidates national development goals.

TVET research should therefore endeavour to develop “value-investing knowledge, skills and attitudes for socio- economic transformation of the nation,” he said.

“TVET should give high priority to the implementation of the Stem policy.

Research in TVET should therefore seek to realign training programmes with the ministry’s ‘stemitisation’ thrust.”

Researchers, academics, policy makers, business executives and practitioners in the area of TVET presented papers on researches they had undertaken.

Speaking at the conference, Bulawayo Polytechnic Principal, Gilbert Mabasa, said his in stitution was one of the key players in TVET.

He said TVET cultivates business skills that will ultimately result in the creation of more jobs and reactivation of industrial activities in Zimbabwe. “TVET is a tool for addressing and correcting the social and economic crises that undermine the economic stability and prosperity of Zimbabwe,” said Mabasa.

“Institutions of higher and tertiary education should intensify their collaboration with the private sector to maintain and expand TVET programmes in polytechnics.

TVET emerges as an effective poverty reduction strategy that can successfully transform the social and economic life of Zimbabwean citizens.”