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Bulawayo Polytechnic Principal Gilbert Mabasa

Whinsley Masara, Business Reporter
THE Bulawayo Polytechnic will host a research and innovation conference in Nyanga next week aimed at finding solutions to  to revive the country’s economy.

The conference will be held at Troutbeck Resort.

About 80 delegates drawn from institutions of higher learning across the country are expected to attend the two-day conference, which starts next Thursday.

Bulawayo Polytechnic principal, Mr Gilbert Mabasa, said the conference would this year be held under the theme: “Research based STEMitised Innovations: Solutions to revive Zimbabwe.”

“Bulawayo Polytechnic is one of the key players in research based STEMitised innovations hence the conference will highlight how STEMitised innovations will contribute as a way to revive Zimbabwe.

“Researchers, leaders, academics, policy makers, business executives, civil society and practitioners in the area of technical and vocational education and training will attend,” he said.

Mr Mabasa said such conferences have in the past been held by universities but this will be the fourth time it is held by a polytechnic. Last year it was held in Victoria Falls.

Mr Mabasa said Bulawayo Polytechnic holds these conferences to give an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences, research findings and recommendations for policy makers.

“Its aim is to encourage and inform better research in STEMitised innovations as solutions to revive Zimbabwe’s industries,” he said adding that research should be the corner stone of institutions of higher learning,” he said.

“We are focusing on STEM because it is in line with the Government’s thrust ‘Towards an Empowered Society, a Growing Economy and Zimbabwe Industrialisation ‘.

“The 2018 Research conference is unique in that there will be poster presentations on practical projects. Our Polytechnic has realised significant achievements from hosting conferences of this magnitude in a number of ways.”

In each conference there has been an increase in the number of papers on promoting the girl child in the fields of engineering. At least 20 papers have been indexed in the Research Council of Zimbabwe Research index.

Bulawayo Polytechnic was established in 1927 initially as a technical school to meet the demands of industry when the city was then the industrial hub of Southern Africa. It has grown from a preserve of a minority, which started with 37 white students, to an institution enrolling more than 5,000 students drawn from all over the country. — @winnie_masara.