via Universities useless says Gandawa – The Zimbabwean 26.8.2015
Most universities are glued in the past and are of no help in producing graduates who can transform the economy, says Higher and tertiary education deputy minister Godfrey Gandawa.
Officially opening the Masvingo Zimbabwe Open University regional centre last week, he said most of universities were producing graduates who were not helping the country to grow economically.
Most of the degree programmes offered were useless to the current economic environment, he added. “I am not happy at all because I want PHD holders who provide solutions to the country’s economic problems,” said Gandawa. “I want degree holders who provide industries for themselves.
The deputy minister also said that the Zanu (PF)’s economic blue print ZimAsset was too complicated. “Some people pretend to know ZimAsset when they do not have any knowledge of how it works,” he said. “Zim Asset is too complicated hence people have to read it and understand it before they implement any project.”
Gandawa’s remarks comes barely a month after Zanu (PF) acting Masvingo provincial chairman Paradzai Chakona castigated the government for turning the state-run Great Zimbabwe University into an arts and culture degree providing institution saying, such degree programmes were useless to the development of the country.
Chakona said that arts and culture degree programmes were not relevant in a country facing serious economic challenges. “I am surprised the government has turned the Great Zimbabwe university into an arts and cultural degree providing institution when we need engineers and economists,” he said. “To be honest what does learning a traditional cultural dance like Muchongowoyo help the country?” he asked.
“Masvingo province will always lag behind in terms of development when we focus on providing cultural studies to our students instead of engineering and research,” said Chakona. He said while cultural studies were important on their own they should not be prioritised at the expense of real development.
“We have natural resources in Masvingo province – so if we utilise them we are going to see meaningful development,” he said. “If I were in a position of authority I would have pushed for the establishment of a university that focuses on scientific research and technological development.”
COMMENTS
How did this ‘dofo’ ever get to that office.My God ..! The most stupid thing I ever heard.
“I am not happy at all because I want PHD holders who provide solutions to the country’s economic problems,” said Gandawa. “………”
What this lunatic doesn’t appreciate is the fact that every business idea or opportunity can only flourish in a conducive atmosphere.
Actually, if this idiot had eyes and brains he would see that Zimbabwe, as a country, has a large pool of entrepreneurs who are doing wonders across the globe, except in their own country. He would also know that the same individuals wouldn’t have realized their dreams had they remained in Zimbabwe, simply becoz of greed & unpatriotic people like Gandawa himself – vanorarama nekusveta ropa ravamwe; kuba zvavasina kushandira.
Its not about schools, colleges, universities, etc. Its all about Mugabe & his cronies, of which this lunatic (Gandawa) is one.
” No other African nation has the same combination of Education Infrastructure and Language capability that Zimbabwe possesses ” says Karen Kelly ((USA Embassy) Unisversitys are useless says Godfrey..! I pray to God that some student will shoot you. For the sake of all young Zimbos who are rated very high all over the world.
Not all universities are useless!!! The UZ has been known to churn out a Phd graduate in just 3 months without a published thesis
How about relinquishing your position to these learned people dear minister? Let them craft the policies and make the decisions.
Its unfortunate that the policies of Zimbabwe are said to be workable when they have been crafted by crazy people with a mad leader in the name of Robert Gabriel Mugabe. The policies have not relevancy to the world in the first place and how can they work in a little country and economy as Zimbabwe. If Mugabe has never created the 2.2 million jobs ever since he took over how could he create the 2.2 million jobs in just 5 years. In fact thus really madness and for anyone to think that University education is supposed to create the 2.2 jobs when the government has no policies that will see to it that there is socio-economic and political environment conducive for the creation of even 10 jobs how can they create a 2.2 million. Mugabe is the only person who need to be removed and then there will be some form of sanity even in the ZANU PF to see how shallow minded and day dreaming they been doing killing the economy since they took over in 1980s. The economy was on the roller coaster set by the Smith Regime and now the momentum is finished and effect of plunder are being noticed now. Since Mugabe took over, if we are to use the currency as the only indicator of economic growth since the exchange rate is externally determined, you will see that at independence Zimbabwe currency was stronger than the USD and almost equal to British Pound. With passage of time it get weaker and weaker against these two currencies until now there is not currency called ZWD on earth, WHY? MUGABE POLICIES HAVE FAILED TOTALLY