The Sunday Mail
Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT grants to State universities will soon be linked to the level of productivity under a new system that will reward best performers.
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira told a recent meeting with State university Vice Chancellors and bursars that the new system will be in line with the Education 5.0 thrust.
This follows concerns that institutions of higher learning were being lethargic in marketing Covid-19 consumables they were producing.
Some institutions were sitting on large stocks of sanitisers and face masks, until President Mnangagwa, who is Chancellor of all State universities, ordered public entities to procure from the universities.
Prof Murwira said universities should actively seek to become self-sustaining and not rely on handouts. “We are no longer in the era of talking about Education 5.0, we are now pursuing implementation, so we want to see the fruits of the efforts which are being put in by our institutions. “It is a good thing that we provided capacity and funding for you to be able to produce sanitisers and masks, among other things, but you also need to be able to market and sell what you produce,” he said. He called on the institutions to ensure their products are marketable.
Zimbabwe has 14 State universities.
“We shall be monitoring how your respective institutions perform on the business development front. Those who refuse to adjust to the demands of the new times will have to step aside and allow those who want to work to do what is required.” Authorities, Prof Murwira said, will periodically review each institution’s performance, and the appraisal therefrom would guide access to financing. “We expect every institution to take its business development seriously. Bursars have their importance in the institutional structure, but they should not be responsible for business development. Universities should employ people who can sell and bring in money to help fund their operations and studies.
“We will be monitoring the implementation of our recommendations and we will be directing more support to those who are productive. Do not be shocked when you see other institutions getting more financing than others. Gone are the days where money will be given on an equitable basis, now we are linking funding to productivity.” Last week, Government released millions of dollars in funding to the National University of Science Technology (NUST) to procure equipment to manufacture Covid-19 testing reagents on account of the institution’s performance.
