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Yesterday we carried three stories that bear testimony to the fact that Government under the Second Republic has accepted that the world is changing, and hence things need to be done differently.

Innovating and adapting to ever-changing times is the way to go. We now have to think outside the box.

The world is changing and we must change with it.

In one of the three stories, we wrote that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will beginning this year, subject all examination classes to a new model that will combine marks for continuous assessment as well as final examinations.

The Education Ministry said the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) examinations and the Continuous Assessment Framework will now form part of the weighted contribution to learner performance outcomes in Grade Seven, Form Four and Form Six public examinations.

The Continuous Assessment Framework emphasises the assessment of knowledge, skills, abilities, values and trends to ascertain the achievement of desired learner exit profiles at any level.

This means for the first time ever, all the good work and skills acquired by learners before their exams will now count for something. The new method will also allow for the identification of each learner’s abilities and possible career paths.

In the second story, we reported that the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) is set to start producing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits for the country in response to Covid-19 that has killed over 1 500 Zimbabweans.

Currently, a Covid-19 PCR test costs about US$60 in private health institutions, but once Nust starts producing the kit, members of the public will pay about US$20 for a PCR test.

This is, however, not only about making things cheaper but using local skills to find solutions to local problems. The Nust Innovation Hub deserves much praise in this regard. Our universities must be centres of innovation and technology that will make us less reliant on the developed world.

In the last story, we wrote that investors in the generation of solar power are set to enjoy a five-year tax holiday with those importing gadgets used for generating solar exempted from paying customs duty.

This is particularly important because Zimbabwe requires an additional 9 000MW to support economic activities that will drive the country towards achieving an upper middle-income economy by 2030.

The country’s demand for power hovers around 2 000MW. However, due to ageing equipment, existing power plants are generating far below the national requirement.

The removal of duty on solar equipment as well as the tax-holiday will ensure that the country relies less on the national grid. Eventually, the country can start to record a surplus in power that can be exported to generate much-needed foreign currency.

Practical and relevant education at both high school and tertiary level, coupled with dynamic policy shifts will certainly be the tonic that will lead to the achievement of an upper middle-income economy by 2030.

We urge Government to continue to be innovative and adapt to the demands of an ever-changing world that waits for no man.