The ManicaPost
Liberty Dube
GOVERNMENT has the desire and goal in restoring and upgrading the dignity and social position of the teacher in communities, a Cabinet Minister has said.Speaking at Mutare Teachers’ College graduation ceremony last Saturday, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, said her ministry was expected to make a significant contribution to Zim-Asset through human capital development and promotion of science and technology.
“In tandem with Zim-Asset, my ministry places great importance on the use of education in science and technology. In education, advances in science and technology are essential in the realisation of economic transformation and in improving the quality of life for our citizens.
“We want you to take the lead in influencing socio-economic transformation of communities in order to change their livelihoods.
She hailed the college for undertaking life changing innovations such as the biogas digester which is fed from waste from poultry and piggery projects. The digester produces gas which is used for cooking in the college canteen.
“I do hope that in the not so distant future, you will be commercially producing this commodity for the benefit of communities and by so doing, stopping deforestation which has stripped the beautiful mountain around your college and city,” she added.
The graduation which was the 58th edition was held under the theme: “Promoting Zim-Asset through creative and innovative practices in human capital development for socio-economic transformation”.
The ceremony saw 407 students graduating in different programmes.
Out of these, 181 were in the two-year post A-Level programme and 226 were in the three-year post O-Level programme. 53 percent of them were female.
The college principal, Mr Jason Muwandi, urged the graduates to be exemplary and positively impact the lives of young people in respective communities.
“You are not just graduating, but to make a difference to the lives of a group of young people who will be inheriting the life of Zimbabweans,” he said.
He added that, as a strategy to counter the economic crisis bedevilling the country, the college established income generating projects and augment Government’s funds.
“We are very much aware that the fiscus cannot cover up everything, we are involved in various projects such as piggery, poultry, horticulture, fishery as well as a 100 hectares farm in Odzi where we have 30 cattle. We are hoping in the spirit of Zim-Asset we will be able to produce food for ourselves,” added Mr Muwandi.
