Story by Fungai Jachi
IN a ground-breaking development for Zimbabwe, government has launched an indigenous data analytics system known as DuraIsiphala263 for higher and tertiary education institutions.
The introduction of the DuraIsiphala263 at a ceremony held at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare this Monday is a ground-breaking development expected to change the landscape of data analytics in the education sector.
The innovation seeks to modernise and integrate data-based planning and decision-making within the education sector.
“We have come up with an original product which is a solution to local challenges. This innovation will help government planners as well and it will allow us to predict future problems and solutions. It is a comprehensive futuristic system,” Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education’s Chief Executive Officer, Professor Kuzvinetsa Peter Dzvimbo said.
The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Ambassador Frederick Shava, said the Second Republic’s prioritisation of science, technology and innovation in education has created an environment where local solutions are made to address Zimbabwean and global challenges.
“Predicting the future of higher education and training requires us to use modern analytics tools, of which DuraIsiphala263 provides such. We now expect to analyse, predict and plan with increased confidence the manpower landscape in our country. Such predictions should maintain Zimbabwe’s competitive advantage in the production of relevant manpower for our country and, indeed, for the region,” he said.
“While today we are celebrating the launch of this system for us, it is the beginning of a journey that should see us achieve several incremental efficiencies. These efficiencies will come as we increase the kind of data collected and analysed in the system. As we speak, the next cohort of data will include data on research and innovation in our institutions.
“We want to track and analyse the research activities within the institutions and between the institutions. We want to track the innovations and the impact they will have on the societal needs as they are solved through appropriate research and statistical analyses,” the Minister stated.
The system was piloted and refined through collaborative training by 89 percent of the country’s higher and tertiary education institutions, with over 167 technical users already actively participating in the continuous improvement and utilisation of the system.
DuraIsiphala263 is currently managing data on active students and student inclusivity, graduates, academic and administrative staff, employee qualifications and accredited programmes.
