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The TelOne Centre for Learning has been described as a citadel for the development of ICT and technology necessary to propel Zimbabwe into an upper-middle income economy by 2030.
This was revealed by Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and courier services during the 8th TelOne Centre for Learning (TCFL) Graduation Ceremony on 30 November 2022.
The Minister expressed his hearty congratulations to the 310 students who graduated and gave a special mention to the 25 who recently received their caps from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) for the BTech Telecomms Engineering degree.
“Additionally, to all the 19 prize winners, I say well done to you and may you continue shining going forth. I am positive that our country will benefit from your skills which are needed now more than ever. Zimbabwe is your home and it needs you. Go out and shine! Explore! Innovate! Build products! Provide solutions! Devise home-grown solutions for Zimbabwe’s problems.
“Indeed, we are gathered today to celebrate as we witness the further development of ICT and Technology skills for our local market, particularly at a time our Government is driving economic growth through the use of ICTs for the fulfilment of Vision 2030. Today’s gathering bears witness to the manifestation of Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) which emphasises the digital economy as one of the 14 national priorities for the period 2021 to 2025. Beyond Zimbabwe, the African Union is also promulgating a digitized African Economy as an engine for growth and economic prosperity. It is, therefore, commendable that institutions like the TCFL are sending graduates with ICT skills and knowledge into the local market, SADC, Africa and beyond to contribute to the manifestation of the digital economy vision,” Minister Muswere said.
The graduation was profound as it represents another key pillar to the successful implementation of NDS1 which is Human Skills Development. Certainly, the thrust of achieving a modern economy requires that tertiary institutions churn out graduates with the capacity and the requisite skill set to be able to achieve this mandate.
It has also become the common cause that the Covid-19 pandemic has made the world more digital with demand for ICTs and usage patterns having jumped rapidly. Despite having eased in the past year, the Covid-19 pandemic has digitalised all walks of life.
In this regard, the Government’s quest to have a functional digital economy has therefore become more urgent and needs to be supported by relevant skills to design, install, maintain and support the digital infrastructure, devices as well as the software. To this end, the work being done by TelOne Centre for Learning is fully acknowledged by the ICT Ministry as it supports this mandate that has been clearly cut out for the ministry to oversee through the deployment and growth of ICTs in Zimbabwe.
Thus, it becomes critical to bridge the digital divide for the 2,9 billion people who still remain offline worldwide, more so the millions not connected in Zimbabwe.
“It is vital to realize that while digital economy positives are staggering, there are also adverse issues which include hacking, data and monetary theft, fraud and other cyber scams. Having said this, it gives my ministry immense pleasure to acknowledge the work being done by TelOne Centre for Learning in tackling Cybersecurity challenges through the provision of critical offerings such as the recently-introduced Cybersecurity Diploma. The Ministry and Government applaud this initiative and future developments to support this trajectory.
“As government plays its part in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), institutions like the TelOne Centre for Learning can also implement strategic initiatives to feed into this vision. As such, we would like to commend the TelOne Centre for Learning on the efforts beyond our borders as highlighted earlier by the Board Chairman, Dr. Zimbango. Equipped with a clear-cut directive to improve foreign currency generation, the Ministry continues to encourage the TCFL, as a SADC-certified training centre, to also aggressively court foreign students. This will not only generate foreign currency into the economy, it will also improve revenue streams for the institution,” Dr. Muswere added.
Mrs. Chipo Mtasa, the TelOne Managing Director thanked Huawei Technologies Zimbabwe Private Limited for the donation of computer networking equipment and a smart screen to the TelOne Centre For Learning.
As is their tradition, the following best graduating students have been awarded the TelOne Managing Director’s prize of immediate Employment: Chigwende Tatenda, Kayenie Tinodaishe, Williams Cayleen, and Chari Kennddy.
