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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected] 

GOVERNMENT is implementing a transformative graduate employment creation and development programme with the primary goal of nurturing employment creators as opposed to employment seekers.

The innovative initiative, rooted in Heritage-Based Education 5.0 places the responsibility on tertiary institutions to establish their own industries. The graduates instead of seking employment are encouraged to venture into entrepreneurship by forming their own companies. The Government has adopted a deliberate policy to support these emerging industries and businesses thereby aligning with the Second Republic’s philosophy that ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo/nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.

Speaking at the Carpe Diem School of Engineering graduation ceremony in Bulawayo yesterday, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation Science and Technology Development, Professor Amon Murwira who was represented by the Chief Director Human Capital Planning and Skills Development in the Ministry, Professor Norman Rudhumbu, said the graduation ceremony demonstrated Government’s commitment to fulfilling its constitutional mandate on national development.

Min Prof Murwira

He said Government was promoting private initiatives in the development of higher and tertiary education.

“Today’s achievement demonstrates the combined effort of Carpe Diem School of Engineering, our Ministry and indeed the Government of Zimbabwe. This public-private collaboration is key to the growth of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Zimbabwe,” said Minister Murwira.

He commended the Carpe Diem School of Engineering for producing graduates that will contribute to the national agenda of human capital development.

Minister Murwira said his Ministry is pleased with the direction the School of Engineering has taken.

“Our key objective as a Ministry is to align higher and tertiary education to solve Zimbabwe’s challenges. We firmly believe in homegrown heritage-based solutions towards resolving local challenges. Under Heritage-Based Education 5.0, institutions of higher and tertiary education must impart capabilities that enable learners to produce goods and services that satisfy the needs of our people. Education, correct education is not for show but must result in the production of goods and services. 

It is through the production of goods and services that we shall propel Zimbabwe to an upper middle-income economy,” said Prof Murwira.

He said the Second Republic has extensively explored all necessary means of promoting technological innovations and industrialisation through the Heritage Based Education 5.0 which has seen the establishment of industrial hubs, industrial parks and agro-innovation hubs at colleges and universities.

Prof Murwira said all this was meant to build a strong foundation for the country’s industrialisation and modernisation.

In an interview, the School of Engineering’s director, Dr Annatoria Chinyama said the inaugural graduation ceremony was a dream come true for them as the school was born out of a passion to impart knowledge to young people interested in venturing into the engineering field.

She said at the moment, they were offering three courses, Civil Engineering, Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering as well as Surveying and Geometrics.

“The name of our school is derived from Latin which means seize the day. We realised that most of our youths nowadays are not that self-motivated and we feel we can instil that sense of self-motivation by saying to them seize the day by doing something beneficiary to yourself and the society,” said Dr Chinyama.

Ms Isabel Mabhena was the best student after getting four distinctions and said she was looking forward to starting her diploma course.

“It was naturally exciting to be the best among a group of other equally hard-working colleagues, the course was fine and fun too. Engineering is basically a male-dominated industry but I told my self that I should be among them,” said Ms Mabhena.