Story by Abigirl Tembo
ZIMBABWE and India have made significant strides towards strengthening partnerships in higher education, with the two countries agreeing to cooperate in training and capacity building.
In an interview on the sidelines of the just-ended India-Africa Business Conclave, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Professor Fanuel Tagwira, revealed that Zimbabwe and India held fruitful discussions on cooperation in higher education.
“We have agreed to cooperate in the area of training, with India offering scholarships and places at some of their leading universities for our staff to pursue Masters and PhD studies. In addition, the owners of Jindal have offered opportunities for young Zimbabweans to study at their private university and engineering college, an offer that the Zimbabwean government is eager to take up. India is one of the key countries we want to partner with in higher education,” he said.
He added, “Their education system is renowned for producing graduates with knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurial spirit, which is in line with our own Education 5.0 policy. We want to produce graduates who can create jobs, not just seek employment. India’s education system is very close to what we are doing, and we believe that this partnership will be mutually beneficial.”
The agreement is expected to be implemented immediately, with the Zimbabwean government working on identifying candidates to take scholarship and training programmes in India.
The partnership with India is expected to help Zimbabwe produce a highly skilled workforce and entrepreneurs to drive the country’s economic development in line with the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 Model.
