The University of Zimbabwe presented 6 084 graduates yesterday to be capped by President Mnangagwa with top undergraduate Munashe Gahadza who scored a record-breaking 40 distinctions out of a possible 44 courses racing to a first class BSc Honours degree in Actuarial Science.
He also won the University of Zimbabwe Book Prize and was
named the Faculty’s best graduating student and most consistent student. For
his achievements, Gahadza won the Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Chancellor’s
Award for the best male undergraduate student earning a cash prize of US$1 000.
The President topped this up with a further US$1 000 for his attainment of 40
distinctions.
Speaking after being capped by the President, he shared his
delight with his family. “This is an achievement for me and my family. I
dedicate this degree to my family and everyone who supported me since the
beginning. I urge other students who are still pursuing their studies to
continue to work hard. It is possible and you can achieve this,” he said.
His next step was to start his actuarial professional exams
for him to become a qualified actuary. An actuary is a business professional
who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty.
Top female undergraduate student Gamuchirai Bhiza also
scored a first, becoming the first female student to attain a first-class
honours degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering.
For her efforts, Bhiza was awarded the Emmerson Dambudzo
Mnangagwa Chancellor’s Award for the best female undergraduate also with a cash
prize of US$1 000 as well as the Women in Science & Engineering Award for
the best female student.
The President commended the realisation of qualitative
growth within the higher education sector through the introduction of new
degree programmes.
“It is also commendable that 39 percent of the graduates
were in the critical areas of natural and applied sciences, medicine,
engineering and information and communication technology related disciplines.
The future is in sciences and the University of Zimbabwe, along with other
institutions of higher learning continues to propel this science-oriented
education. After all, this is how developed countries overcame
under-development,” he said.
The trailblazing initiative by the University to create
three streams for start-ups was a welcome development as the approach was in
sync with the Second Republic’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind.
This would undoubtedly broaden the participation of more
stakeholders in the country’s on-going innovation and industrialisation
revolution.
The start-up programmes include the graduate innovator
start up programme, the industry-based innovator start-up programme and the
community-based innovator programme.
UZ Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo said the
University continued to make progress towards implementing its programme
approach to research and innovation, underpinning the industrialisation thrust.
“The University of Zimbabwe has to date registered 21
start-up companies from its first cohort of graduates and interns and these are
at various phases of business development. A number of private and public
companies are now also coming on board to begin to collaborate with the
University Innovation Hub and also with the faculties to produce at large scale
and commercialise goods and services that are coming from the research and
innovation, but particularly from the start-up companies,” he said.
The University has seamlessly linked teaching and learning
to research, innovation and industrialisation to produce Education 5.0
graduates with new competencies that foster creativity, innovation and
establishment of companies.
“The institution has championed new innovative methods of
delivery in teaching and learning in order to migrate from theory-based
classroom-based teaching and learning to more practical student-centred
teaching and learning towards production of goods and services. This is not a
mean feat in terms of managing the change and shifting the mindset; this is
work in progress,” said Prof Mapfumo. Herald
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