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HIT embraces new Higher Education policy

Following his swearing in and inauguration as the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe on Friday, 24 November 2017 in Harare, His Excellency, President Emmerson Mnangagwa unveiled a new dispensation where he called on all citizens to work together in rebuilding the nation. He also laid out his vision for the country to move towards a new trajectory of growing the economy.

The President met with Vice Chancellors and Deans of all local universities, Principals, Directors and heads of departments of higher education institutions on Tuesday 9 January 2018 to ascertain the institutions' contributions towards economic growth through research and teaching.

In his address, President Mnangagwa said institutions of higher learning should work as an integral part of the country's economy as the education system is the pillar for national development. President Mnangagwa added that institutions of higher learning should harness the knowledge and skills of their graduands for economic growth.

“We look upon the institutions of higher learning to lead in research and development to support the agriculture sector and industry through the adoption of water harvesting technologies and farming methods as well as other innovations in order to retain the country's breadbasket status and boost productivity which will in turn boost our economy,” said  President Mnangagwa.

The President also urged captains of industry to partner Government in the academic transformative agenda as they are the immediate beneficiaries of a skilled workforce.

“With the unity of purpose and team spirit, we can achieve far beyond. This will improve service delivery in both public and private entities. It's high time we adopt the new direction that my government has taken to revive the economy and bring about a better Zimbabwe,” said President Mnangagwa.

He urged universities to produce graduates with skills which are required by the local industry emphasizing that these institutions must ensure that the knowledge gained by students is used for development.

Prior to this meeting, the Permanent Secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, Dr. Desire Sibanda had also directed local universities to have a competitive research system which researches for Government and industry to ensure an increase in the country's Gross Domestic Product. “The country must leverage on its human resource base and educational institutions to process raw materials into finished products. We want the President to be aware of what tertiary institutions are doing. The vision of the ministry is to contribute immensely and expeditiously towards the turnaround of the economy,” he said.

Dr Sibanda added that there should be research in mining, agriculture, industry and health to mention just a few. “The current position is that five of our major exports are all unprocessed raw materials. We want to call upon universities to research and increase our manufacturing of products,” he said.

The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development has established innovation hubs at the National University of Science and Technology, Midlands State University, University of Zimbabwe, Harare Institute of Technology, Zimbabwe National Defence University and Chinhoyi University of Technology as highlighted in its 100-day Plan of Action.