Govt to improve agric colleges — minister

Government is set to formally incorporate agricultural colleges into the modern tertiary education system as human skills are fundamental in achieving the Vision 2030, Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira has said.

Speaking during a Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) business luncheon in Harare yesterday, Prof Murwira said it is vital for agricultural colleges to be well-funded as agriculture is one of the key players in the economy.

“Agricultural training colleges are on their way to being properly organised. We need to incorporate them within our tertiary systems. Now, there is a Bill being drafted and the results are expected by the end of this quarter.

“These programs are key in ensuring that we produce well trained and highly skilled artisans that will contribute toward the attainment of Vision 2030,” he said

Minister Murwira said Zimdef is important in ensuring the development of a modernised and innovative economy.

“Zimdef is key in ensuring that industry continues to get relevant and requisite human capital through funding the various human capital development programs,” he said.

Professor Murwira said Government had inherited a colonial education system 3.0 which was designed to produce workers and was now moving to 5.0 aimed at churning out industrialists.

He said the 5.0 education system was anchored on teaching, research, community service, innovations and industrialisation.

“Chinhoyi University of Technology is a good example of our drive to education 5.0. We started funding the automation of a cattle breeding project where we now have capacity to produce seven million pedigree bull semen straws per year. This translates to a revenue of US$140 million annually,” said Professor Murwira.

Through the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, the country is making significant strides towards adopting Education 5.0 model.

The 3.0 model, made up of three core areas teaching, research and outreach, was inherited from a colonial system which was structured to produce a pool of labourers to service the settler economy.