The University of Zambia acting deputy vice chancellor, Prof. Bizedi Phiri says, “In order to foster development and ensuring that we enhance capacity for job creation, there is need for universities to come together and interact. Through such activities we will be able to exchange information that can bring about job creation in the country.” The University of Zambia (UNZA) has called for collaboration among Universities in the country to enhance job creation among the youth.
UNZA acting deputy vice chancellor, Prof. Bizedi Phiri said it was imperative for Universities to create mutual working relationships in order to promote the exchange of developmental ideas among their students and members of staff.
Prof. Phiri said, “Through good working relationships and networking, research and collaborations among the universities in the country will be spearheaded.
“In order to foster development and ensuring that we enhance capacity for job creation, there is need for universities to come together and interact. Through such activities we will be able to exchange information that can bring about job creation in the country,” he aaded.
Meanwhile Cavendish University Law Association vice president Gaetano Kabwe noted that it was time students became enterprising in order to create employment for others.
Mr. Kabwe lamented, “Students should change their mind-sets and start thinking in the lines of creating jobs after graduating from Universities… We need government to come on board and empower the students by funding their projects. This way we will be building critical thinkers who will contribute positively to the development of the country.”
And a University of Zambia post graduate Student Maybin Yamba said there was need for higher learning institutions to revise the teaching curriculum to a more flexible and practical one.
Mr. Yamba said students needed to be exposed to a learning curriculum that would be able to offer practical solutions to some of the social and economic problems the country was facing.
The speakers were talking to the Lusaka Star during this year’s commemoration of the African University Day that took place at the UNZA Great East Road main campus.
The African University Day is an annual event commemorated on 12th November whose responsibility is to run programmes that are relevant to a country’s needs and provide the necessary skills to the students to facilitate their eventual employment.
This year’s event was held under the theme ‘enhancing capacity for job creation.’