President Mnangagwa yesterday challenged 10 students that have benefited from the ED-UNZA Scholarship Fund to pursue their studies at various universities not to abuse the facility, but utilise it for the development of the country.
The Fund is the brainchild of the President and was established in 2019 to assist gifted but disadvantaged students to study at his former university, the University of Zambia but has now expanded to include those enrolled at local universities.
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Book NowThe President shared his personal history, highlighting his own journey from a disadvantaged background and encouraged the students to remain focused and determined in their pursuit of education, particularly in fields that contribute to the country’s modernization and industrialization
Addressing the students that were drawn from across the country’s provinces, President Mnangagwa said:
“The ED-UNZA Scholarship Fund is designed to help boys and girls coming from disadvantaged families, just because we don’t have enough funds, our Fund is still very small, otherwise we should have many more students under this Scholarship Fund.
“I believe that my team has picked you realising that you have potential but unfortunately you don’t have requisite requirements for you to pursue your education, so this is the chance you have been given by the ED-UNZA Scholarship programme and I hope you will not mess it up but you will do what you said you want to do, I hope that you will do so,” he said.
The President narrated his history saying he had also come from a similar background and did the bulk of his education in prison.
“I wish to inform you that to some extent I came from such (a disadvantaged background). I only passed grade seven in school, the rest, where I am now, I have struggled through correspondence but in prison. I am not asking you to take that journey because the majority of you will run away.
“I don’t think you would want to spend 10 years in prison but with consistency and persistence for my education I obtained my first law degree, so it is possible, if you are focused and you have determination to achieve a particular goal,” he said.
He said in the past only those who had studied law, medicine and theology were considered learned but said the belief had changed with time with people now focusing more on science and technology.
“But now I understand that people doing engineering, doing sciences are considered educated, I have no quarrel with that because I believe that every country that has developed, has developed from science. It is science that makes products and services. Yet in the past education was not designed to make us, black people be productive and produce products. It was designed for us to serve colonial powers but now for us, particularly the Second Republic, we are now focused on science.”
“I am not sure what most of you will be doing but the bias should be towards science so that we can modernise, industrialise our country. The countries which call themselves the first world say so because they have promoted themselves through science and technology.”
President Mnangagwa said it was unhelpful to acquire advanced theoretical qualifications yet being unable to prepare a basic meal.
“So, we should not follow that path, you must pursue an education that enhances the quality of life for us that is you produce a product or a service to society then you are in line with the Second Republic philosophy where want our boys and to aim to produce products and services for our nation,” he said.
Speaking in separate interviews, beneficiaries of the scholarships expressed their gratitude to the President.
Dalubuhle Tshuma from Lupane who will study law at Great Zimbabwe University said it had always been his dream to be a lawyer.
“So, I am grateful for being awarded this scholarship. Since I was young, I have been dreaming of becoming a lawyer. Law is my passion so I am very grateful for being awarded the scholarship,” he said.
Maud Chauke, who hails from Chiredzi, said she would use the knowledge she will gain from studying Agronomy at Midlands State University (MSU) to assist her community.
“I am really excited as you can see, I finally got the chance of going to university as I was waiting for the whole year. I am going to study Agronomy at MSU. I am really thankful,’’ she said.
Musawenkosi Ndlovu from Nkayi District also expressed similar sentiments.
“I am going to do my degree in Bio-chemistry at MSU. To me this ED-UNZA scholarship is a great privilege since I am an orphan. I want to thank everyone that has made it possible for me to have this scholarship,” he said.
Herald
