Source: Drive national development agenda, universities urged – herald
Minister MachakaireIvan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
UNIVERSITY students have been challenged to harness their knowledge and innovation to provide practical solutions to Zimbabwe’s socio-economic challenges, as the country’s transformation depends on an educated, skilled and patriotic youth.
Speaking at the eighth edition of the Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) National Universities Quiz Challenge in Harare yesterday, Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training Minister Tino Machakaire said young people had a critical role to play in achieving the country’s development aspirations under Vision 2030.
He said the Second Republic had placed youth empowerment at the centre of national development through the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), the National Youth Policy and the National Youth Empowerment Strategy.
“Zimbabwe’s future will never be determined by the resources beneath our soil alone. It will be determined by the ideas inside the minds of our young people,” said Minister Machakaire.
“Our greatest national asset is not gold, lithium or platinum. It is an educated, innovative and patriotic generation that is prepared to solve Zimbabwe’s challenges.”
He said that while Government continued to create opportunities for young people through various empowerment initiatives, it was incumbent upon the youth to take advantage of those opportunities.
“Government can only create opportunities. It is the young people who must seize them,” he said.
Minister Machakaire described the annual quiz challenge as a platform for grooming future leaders and innovators capable of contributing to national development.
“It is a leadership laboratory. It is a platform where future ministers, entrepreneurs, scientists, innovators, policymakers and captains of industry begin sharpening the minds that will shape Zimbabwe tomorrow,” he said.
Minister Machakaire urged students to go beyond acquiring academic qualifications and focus on solving national challenges.
“Zimbabwe does not simply need graduates. Zimbabwe needs solution providers. Zimbabwe needs innovators. Zimbabwe needs job creators. Zimbabwe needs ethical leaders.”
The minister also commended participants for demonstrating knowledge of the National Multisectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Plan, noting that the competition coincided with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
“The greatest weapon against drug and substance abuse is not punishment alone. It is knowledge. When young people understand the consequences of addiction, they become ambassadors of prevention,” he said.
UNESCO Regional Advisor for Education for Health and Well-being, Ms Patricia Machawira, said higher and tertiary institutions should continue strengthening policies that promote students’ health, safety and well-being.
She said UNESCO, through the O3 Plus programme, was working with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, SAYWHAT and other partners to support institutions in implementing policies on sexual and reproductive health, mental health, gender-based violence prevention and disability inclusion.
“Students are not just beneficiaries. You are peer educators, advocates, innovators, leaders and accountability partners,” she said.
“You know where the real gaps are. You know what students are afraid to say. You know what services are working and what services are only working on paper.”
SAYWHAT executive director Mr Jimmy Wilford said the competition had grown from 10 participating universities in 2019 to 17 this year, exposing more students to national policies and development frameworks.
“The major win from this competition, beyond the trophies, is that students are being exposed to various national development documents and global development strategies which they will continue to use beyond the competition,” he said.
Mr Wilford said the organisation intended to expand participation to 20 universities while ensuring that young people’s voices were systematically incorporated into national development processes.
The National University of Science and Technology emerged winners of this year’s competition ahead of the University of Zimbabwe, while Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences finished third.
Other participating institutions were Bindura University of Science Education, Catholic University of Zimbabwe, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Great Zimbabwe University, Gwanda State University, Harare Institute of Technology, Lupane State University, Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Midlands State University, Reformed Church University, Women’s University in Africa, Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University, Zimbabwe Open University and Arrupe Jesuit University.
Receiving the winners’ trophy, NUST third-year Architecture student Roy Chrispen Muzondo attributed the team’s success to resilience and effective communication.
“We dropped a couple of points in one of the rounds, but we managed to regroup and improve our communication. That is what helped us secure the victory, and we hope to defend the title next year,” he said.
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