The Harare Institute of Technology Vice Chancellor, Engineer Quinton Kanhukamwe has challenged the Institute’s first year students to embrace the HIT brand and unleash their potential so that they become the technocrats that will bring the envisioned first world Zimbabwe into reality.
In his official annual address to freshmen, the Vice Chancellor urged the students to be patriotic and to embrace the Institute’s core values; - innovation, leadership, integrity, commitment and professionalism,-in providing solutions and alternatives towards the goals of national development. “You are part of a whole national strategy – to bring transformation and rapid industrialization to Zimbabwe, and you will need to ask yourself fundamental questions on how to reach the envisioned goal and the hurdles which you will need to overcome. The Vice Chancellor added that the students should familiarize themselves with the Institute’s identity and mandate to enable them to make a cogent contribution to that mandate.
The event was attended by HIT senior management, staff, Departmental Chairpersons and lecturers. The Institute Choir put up a brilliant performance singing the inspirational HIT song, which speaks to the Institute’s unique mandate and identity.
The Vice Chancellor urged the students to be excellent ambassadors of the HIT brand and live up to the expectation of the institution’s mandate. “You must continue to raise the HIT brand high and you should make yourself the most preferred graduates in the industry,” he said.
Engineer Kanhukamwe inspired the students to excellence, saying the onus to succeed was on them. “As HIT, we know and believe it is up to us to be the masters of our destiny. We want to empower you to confront all our national challenges and attain excellence. Your coming here will polish you to be the jewel that will bring about this developed first world Zimbabwe that we all envision. You made the right choice,” he said.
“Let’s transform the nation by walking the talk. We must imbue ourselves with leadership qualities. Everyone of us has got some natural leadership traits and it’s about decisive options that you take that will lead you to success. At HIT, we want to promote and inculcate a culture of innovation and technopreneurship. Our curriculum is based on proficiency and centred on competence. We want to develop you to be providers, the developers, incubators with the ability to transfer and commercialise technology,” said Engineer Kanhukamwe.
While welcoming the new students, the Vice Chancellor urged them to challenge themselves. “Do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are. All of us have potential. You are not doing more because no one has challenged you. Our lecturers and all our staff here are going to challenge you”, he said.
The Vice Chancellor also encouraged the students to have healthy and wholesome relationships which were meaningful and productive.
Close to 500 students enrolled for their first year of studies in the 2014/2015 academic year with the Harare Institute of Technology. The students are pursuing various programmes under the Institute’s four Schools.
