HARARE-- President Emmerson Mnangagwa says there is a need to invest heavily in expanding existing higher education infrastructure in Zimbabwe because increasing enrolments have put pressure on them.
Addressing a higher and tertiary education infrastructure investment conference here Thursday, he said the government welcomed investment in higher and tertiary institutions and noted that there was need for new state-of-the-art lecture theatres, laboratories, libraries, cafeterias and decent accommodation for students.
Windows of investment are abound through private sector participation by undertaking investments through Build Operate and Transfer, Build Operate Own and Transfer and the Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), he
said.
A vast number of countries, the world over, have indeed advanced their educational infrastructure through the PPPs. Investors are therefore welcome to rehabilitate and build infrastructure by applying all these
project financing models.
President Mnangagwa said at the moment, higher and tertiary institutions across the country had a total enrolment of 151,380 students. Universities topped the list with 90,919 students while polytechnics and teachers colleges had 24,363 and 28,610 students respectively.
The government will continue to build more institutions of higher learning to ensure broader access to higher education as well as a wider skills base and professional specializations, for now and the future, he said.
President Mnangagwa said the infrastructure should enable universities to become centres of technological incubation and innovation. This will help train and groom a highly qualified and skilled workforce, able to invent and produce proudly Zimbabwean products which are competitive in the regional and global markets.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK
