Age and distance should not be a barrier for one’s educational pursuit as the Government has provided platforms for distance learning for those who are unable to realise their academic objectives using formal learning, President Mnangagwa has said.
He said Government would continue to support tertiary
institutions providing distance learning to ensure everyone accessed education despite one’s age
or place of origin consistent with the Second Republic’s policy thrust of
leaving no one and no place behind.
President Mnangagwa, who is Chancellor of all State
universities said this yesterday after unveiling a plaque of a foundational
stone of the Zimbabwe Open University Hatcliffe campus where he capped 3 040
graduates with undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees, during the
institution’s 20th graduation ceremony.
Some of those that defied age and graduated included
Timothy Kuguyo (61) who was conferred with a Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing
Management and Kudakwashe Maponga (70) who graduated with a Doctor of
Philosophy in Business Management degree.
First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa was also conferred with an
Honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree in Development Studies for her outstanding
philanthropic and development work that has not only drawn attention and
admiration locally but globally.
Speaking to the media, President Mnangagwa said Government
will continue providing support for everyone who wants to better oneself
academically through open distance learning.
“As I have said, education has no age limit and I said that
the only person with authority to end education is Mr Death. Before that, anybody
can continue to increase one’s education. It is equally important that not
everybody in the country will get what they want in life through formal
education. So this institution (ZOU) has the burden and mandate to continue
carrying forward from formal education to education through distance learning,”
said President Mnangagwa.
“I have said, under my watch and administration I will make
sure
that ZOU is supported and should have infrastructure across
the country because there must be no single part of this country where you may
find people failing to get facilities to learn. As long as you give facilities
to all the provinces and districts I am sure you will have people learning and
improving themselves. It is critical that we all support the university.”
On what his expectations were for the new graduands,
President Mnangagwa said they must work towards improving their country.
“Unlike in the past when our aspirations when we were
young, I am over 80, during our time we aspired to be a clerk at an Indian shop
or a white man’s shop. That to us was the crown of being educated. But today
the young generation from year to year must see the transformation of their
motherland from better to best,” said President Mnangagwa.
“I believe that Education 5.0 which changes the outlook of
education, universities must produce students who produce goods and services
which are needed not by foreigners, firstly by the people of this country,
secondly when there is a window to supply the needs of other countries, then
they apply themselves, that is the focus and philosophy of our current
education.”
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise
Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni represented the First Lady who is in
Russia on official business and read her acceptance speech.
In his citation, ZOU Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul
Gundani said the mother of the nation was an embodiment of an African woman and
mother as evidenced by her dedication to uplift the underprivileged which has
seen her earning reverence at home and abroad.
He chronicled several activities that the First Lady had
undertaken, including restoring the African culture through Unhu/Ubuntu.
“The welfare of the girl-child and the woman has become the
trademark of her philanthropy in all the nooks and crannies of the land of
Zimbabwe. The Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba programme has not only generated a cultural
renaissance but has left a lasting impression on the national psyche regarding
how best to leverage on and integrate the African heritage in the socialisation
of the African child. No wonder she has earned local and international
accolades for her humanitarian and developmental programmes,” said Prof
Gundani.
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and
Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira weighed in saying
greatness is measured by what one gives to others and not what one does to
himself or herself.
Prof Gundani said of the 3 040 graduands, 1 198 were males
while 1 842 were female.
“Once again, female graduands far outnumber their male
counterparts as 61 percent constituted female,” he said.
He said the provision of world class education to 10 000 rural youths of Zimbabwe through the Rural Education Transformation programme and the creation of new Industry Specialist Professional Talents was on the cards as ZOU had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a strategic partner, Binary University of Management and Entrepreneurship of Malaysia. Herald
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