Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Amon Murwira said that unemployed graduates must create their own opportunities, rather than seek jobs.
Speaking during a Question and Answer session in Parliament recently, Murwira said that Zimbabwe was changing the philosophy of why people enroll at institutions of learning.
He said Zimbabwe is not suffering a brain drain but experiencing brain circulation, adding that graduates should ditch the colonial mindset whereby people were educated to be employed.
Responding to a question about the Government’s position with regards to brain drain due to a lack of job opportunities, Murwira said, as quoted by NewZimbabwe.com:
Zimbabwe will continue training people and we are also changing the philosophy of why we go to school.
We go to school in order to be able to use our knowledge and skills and attitudes to start new enterprises.
We should no longer talk about brain drain. We talk about brain circulation.
We will be able to train our people so that they are useful to us either locally or elsewhere and they will be able to do things and be able to be useful to the country.
This is a deep philosophy that diverts from the philosophy of going to school to be employed by the colonial master, kuzvishandira, kwete kushandiswa.
Brain drain assumes that the pot that is cooking people has stopped cooking. We will continue cooking our people in our higher and tertiary education institutions.
Hativapedzi, ticharamba tichi trainer vanhu to the extent that these days what they call brain drain is actually brain circulation because we can still use our people wherever they are.
He said the Government will create an environment that allows graduates to start their own industries and also provide them with venture capital. Said Murwira:
When the education trains them how to be able to make things; how to be able to form industries and how to be able to work for themselves, our duty will be to provide them with the correct policy environment so that they are able to do so.
Also, how to provide them with the venture fund so that they have the finances. We shall not construct people who work for other people.
He also said the Government has engaged neighbouring countries to export skilled graduates in an organised manner.
More: Pindula News