The Chairperson of the Zimbabwean Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education, Science and Technology Development Honourable Lindiwe Maphosa MP has commended Zambia for its robust higher and tertiary education sector, from which Zimbabwe can gain invaluable insights towards improving its system. 

 

She said this when she paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of the National Assembly Rt. Honourable Ms Nelly B K Mutti, MP on Tuesday 7th December, 2021 at Parliament Buildings. 

 

Honourable Maphosa expressed her gratitude for the visit to Zambia and was optimistic that learning more on the country’s education sector would positively impact the quality of Zimbabwe’s Higher and Tertiary Education as well as strengthen the strategic synergies between the two countries.

 

Further, the Chairperson stated that the Higher and Tertiary System of Zimbabwe is undergoing radical transformation under the new philosophy of Education 5.0 that addresses five fundamental areas in education namely; teaching, research, community work, innovation and industrialisation, a move from a 3.0 approach that focused on teaching, research and community work. 

 

The Speaker of the National Assembly the Rt. Honourable Ms Nelly B K Mutti, MP welcomed the delegation and spoke about the importance of enhancing continued bilateral relations through the exchange visits between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

 

The Speaker stated that due to the cordial relations, the Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe Honourable Jacob Francis Mudenda, MP recently visited Zambia and she therefore, looked forward to more visitations. Speaker Mutti pledged enhanced collaboration between the two legislatures’ Committees. 

 

The Honourable Madam Speaker further expressed her gratitude to the Chairperson of the delegation and hoped that their visit would be useful for purposes of enhancing the standards of Zimbabwe’s education curriculum. 

Other members of the visiting delegation included; Honourable Torerayi Moyo, MP, Honourable Daniel F Molokela-Tsiye, MP, Honourable Esther Nyathi, MP, Honourable Tawanda Karikonga, MP, Mr. Marcel Mugariri (Committee Clerk) and Mr. Munashe Tofa (Committee Research Officer).

 

The Zimbabwean delegation is in the country to, among other things:

i. appreciate how the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education, Science and Technology Development is operating in terms of discharging its mandate with a view towards exchanging ideas;

ii. understand how Zambia’s Higher Education Authority and related institutions discharge their mandate with a view towards drawing lessons for the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE);

iii. gain an in-depth understanding on the University of Zambia’s Quality Assurance Policy with a view towards enhancing quality education in Zimbabwe; and  

iv. ascertain how research and development is being promoted in Zambia.