Education 5.0 Advances as ED Opens GSU Innovation Complexes

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday capped 104 graduates at Gwanda State University (GSU) and commissioned mining and agricultural innovation facilities at its Epoch Mine Campus in Filabusi, Matabeleland South.

About 80 percent of the graduates completed Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes.

Addressing the university’s fifth graduation ceremony in his capacity as Chancellor, President Mnangagwa urged higher education institutions to produce graduates capable of applying their knowledge to industrial development and community needs.

The ceremony was held under the theme “From academic excellence to industrial competence”.

“In line with our Heritage-Based Education 5.0 philosophy, our institutions of higher learning must continue to shift from theory to tangible practice—producing innovators, problem solvers, and industrial leaders who build the Zimbabwe we want,” He said.

President Mnangagwa commissioned the Mining Engineering Laboratory and Innovation Complex and the Agro-Innovation Complex, which are intended to strengthen practical training, research and collaboration with industry.

The mining complex is equipped with systems designed to improve engineering training, support small-scale miners and promote mineral value addition.

The agricultural facility will support work in livestock management, crop production and climate-resilient agricultural technologies suited to the region.

The facilities are expected to provide opportunities for collaboration among researchers, businesses, communities and government, while supporting the university’s implementation of Heritage-Based Education 5.0.

The education model combines teaching, research and community service with innovation and industrialisation.

GSU operates three faculties: Engineering and the Environment; Natural Resources Management and Agriculture; and Business Science and Management.

Its specialised programmes reflect the importance of mining and agriculture to Matabeleland South’s economy.

The university was established through an Act of Parliament after operating as a college of the National University of Science and Technology. Its infrastructure development priorities also include the planned main campus in Gwanda Town.

President Mnangagwa congratulated the graduates and urged them to apply their skills to developing their communities, reiterating the national mantra, “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” — a nation is built by its own people.