Govt to fund start-ups for tertiary students

Zim Now Writer

As government continues to shift from an education system that produces employment seekers, the Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development ministry says it has budgeted for start-ups for tertiary students beginning next year.

This is in line with the heritage-based Education 5.0, policy which promotes industrialisation and modernisation.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic in Gwanda on Thursday he Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Innovation Science and Technology Development, Professor Amon Murwira, said the funding for start-ups will empower students to address challenges such as deficit of schools in the country.

“Let’s shake off the colonial mentality where after graduation from college, you become an employment seeker.

“We now expect the products from our teachers’ colleges and polytechnics not only to be certificate and diploma holders but to also include start-ups,” he said, adding that the government expected teachers to produce start-ups along the whole education value chain.

“We urge our graduates to form consortiums to start schools and industries that manufacture teaching aids including, apparatus that are required in the school laboratories.”

The minister said Zimbabwe had a deficit of 4 000 schools, which can be addressed by building new schools.

He added that college administrations must help students to form companies, which they will register and government will fund.

The minister said 35 companies have been registered so far at Chinhoyi University and University of Zimbabwe as students were working towards creating own employment.

A total of 1 816 graduands were from the division of teacher and technical education classes of 2019-2022.

Of these, 1 226 were from the division of teacher education, 264 from teacher education intake 48 while 301 trained for Early Childhood Development.

Seventy graduands were drawn from the secondary science teacher training programme, which was introduced in 2018.