Education 5.0 continues to score success

Wallace Ruzvidzo

Herald Reporter

THE Second Republic has pushed forward the evolution of Zimbabwe’s education system, with the continued reconfiguration and expansion of Higher Education institutions from Education 3.0 to Education 5.0, which has seen the establishment of new industries and business start-ups.

The change means that besides making sure students have the theoretical background they need, and that the research staff can push the boundaries of that knowledge, it is now equally important to be able to make use of that knowledge and be innovative in the applications.

Most notable industries and start-ups include the country’s number-plate manufacturing plant which will see Zimbabwe supplying countries in the region, and has saved the country  foreign currency.

Other projects include the Bindura University of Science Education’s Optometry Centre and the University of Zimbabwe’s Laparoscopy Centre which are both a boost to the country’s healthcare system. There is also the Harare Institute of Technology’s TRAM Transportation system as well as bakeries and edible oil production plants, among others.

These are all evidence that the introduction of industrial parks and institutions has seen an upsurge in the production of goods and services meant to meet the needs of the country in various sectors.

The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development said the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 was centred on five pillars.

“In order to effectively implement Heritage-Based Education 5.0, we anchored it on five pillars: programme infrastructure, human capital infrastructure, physical and digital infrastructure, legal infrastructure, and financial infrastructure,” said the Ministry.

The Second Republic had ushered in a system that moved from producing job seekers to nurturing producers of goods and services needed in the country.

“We have reconfigured our Education from Education 3.0 which produced job seekers to Heritage-Based Education 5.0 which incorporated innovation and industrialisation as the fourth and fifth missions.

“Our higher and tertiary education institutions are now producing goods and services that our people want through Heritage-Based Education 5.0.

“We have also started new industries and business start-ups through the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 design,” said the Ministry.

Ms Miriam Dzinoti, whose son is in his final year at one of the tertiary institutions in the country, said the new education model has been a game-changer as she had noted a shift in her son’s mindset.

“The Education 5.0 has really been a good one mwanangu (my son). I will not even lie about that because I can see the fruits on my son. I have noted a big change because now he thinks of making things, producing goods and services himself instead of wanting to look for a job after graduation.

“As we speak, there is a project he is currently working on which he said would be very beneficial to him even financially so I would be a fool not to support such progress and growth,” she said.

President Mnangagwa is on record as emphasising the centrality of Education 5.0 in the country’s developmental matrix.

“A robust, relevant and responsive education system further facilitates the realisation of the potential of technology and innovation for economic growth, peace, equality and the eradication of poverty.

“Education and knowledge have always been the cornerstone of progress, a beacon of hope and a sustainable pathway to a brighter-prosperous future, including in our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe.

“Since time immemorial, culture, heritage and education have been important threads which weave together the fabric of our identity, industrialisation and modernisation,” said the President while officially launching a book titled, “Re-defining Zimbabwe’s Education System: ED Mnangagwa’s Vision and Transformational Leadership”.

In an earlier interview, University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Mapfumo, said Education 5.0 was an enabler to the younger generation.

“The young ones can do more than we can imagine. And there is also potential in us that can also surprise us even once the playground opens. And one of the sources of the incredible feeling is the idea that we can actually come together to do it as institutions.

“In the past, there was a little bit more of a silo mentality, more of ‘I do, they don’t do’ and so on,” he said.