TellZim reporter
College graduates have been challenged to come up with own initiatives and establish educational centres so that they can create employment for themselves and others instead of looking up to government to offer them jobs.
The call was made by the Minister of Higher of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Professor Amon Murwira in a speech read on his behalf at Masvingo Teachers College graduation ceremony last weekend by his deputy Raymore Machingura.
“You must come up with own initiatives and establish educational centres. My challenge to you is that we want you to be the drivers of the programme. Form consortiums and as government, we are ready to provide the funding to the start-ups formed by you as graduates.
“If you miss the opportunity, some already established people would grab the chance at your expense and you would revert to job seeking again.
“Under the industrialization programme, we shall support your start-ups to establish own schools where in the process you would be empowering yourselves and also creating employment for others. You must be the drivers of the programme, do not let other people take up such initiatives at your expense. I have heard of the term ‘land barons’ but in this case I don’t know the term you would use to describe those people maybe educational barons,” said Murwira.
He also urged graduates to shift from just qualifications on paper to application of the knowledge acquired.
“Let us take education beyond just paper qualification, but rather take it as a value chain of opportunities where one would think of the requirements to run a school or training institute, all those things require to be produced for example reading materials, media and even building materials, then you role should go beyond just standing in class and teach.
“Opportunities have always been there but it’s only that the colonial system of education we inherited taught us to be mere classroom practitioners, we have not exploited the whole chain of the education system to the extent that we allowed our colonizers to form companies that produce materials to use in classes,” he added.
University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo also urged the graduating students to help propagate innovation in the country from as early as the Early Childhood Development (ECD) stage of learning.
“Innovation is not a preserve for universities and colleges but can be done by everybody but it’s better concentrated and laid in higher education institutions. Innovation starts with the beginning, so teacher education should be able to foster a culture of innovation so that we have very young children who are creative, inquisitive and innovative.
“The teacher we are trying to produce, who would work with these young children is one who allows them to be as creative as possible but directs them to embrace science, technology and innovation at a tender age,” said Prof Mapfumo.
The graduation of more than 1 900 teachers was attended by various Principals of tertiary institutions of learning dotted around Zimbabwe and members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on education as well.
