A new culture in the mind

Changing the leadership and focus of parastatals without changing both the education and legal systems of Zimbabwe will not bring the desired results. Both systems should be deliberately designed to create an environment flexible enough to allow enterprise to multiply and grow.

The education system in Rhodesia was deliberately designed to serve a white elitist dynasty, targeting a small percentage of the population. When independence came, the education system hardware changed, but the software remained essentially unchanged.

Yes, access to education became universal. With the assistance of many NGOs sponsored from the West, the country built schools in every part of the country. Many vocational institutions and universities, though some remained ill equipped, were started throughout provinces.

This was fantastic but the content of our education system remained essentially pre-colonial. We educate our children to get jobs in an existing business. Although that thinking remained, the planners did not realise that all the young educated minds would need jobs after leaving high schools and colleges.

The result up to today is more than 300 000 highly skilled graduates, trained to work in non existent industries as clerks, technicians, supervisors and managers, leave the education system year in year out leading to massive unemployment.

Entrepreneurship is a unique talent/gift, not limited to particular sectors of the economy. Nor is it confined to disciplines of education. Entrepreneurs are in every endeavour of life. In politics we find them in people like Martin Luther King Jr, Joshua Nkomo, Ndabaningi Sithole, and Morgan Tsvangirai, who dreamt of a new world and sought to create it. Do not confuse these entrepreneurs with pretenders who jump on the band wagon when the train is already on its journey, climb to the top by hook or by crook, claiming to be the only inspiration and visionaries.

Nurturing young minds

We find entrepreneurs in culture – art, music, dance, literature, education, law, engineering, mathematics, IT, mining, energy, processing, manufacturing, distribution, etc, etc. What all this simply means is that the concept of enterprise for profit / increase needs to be nurtured in every young mind to ensure we capture the few talented entrepreneurs in every field.

This is the only way to bring out visionary politicians who bring change to our political environment, create new mines, processing plants, infrastructure, cities, art studios, sport academies, and plays / music houses the businesses which employ unskilled labour, technicians, professionals and managers.

I am proposing the creation of a new culture in the minds of our children a culture of business, a culture of wealth creation, a culture of planting a seed for increase from the early age through the education system.

The education curricula must be changed to reflect this culture, a culture which is the only option we have if we are to overcome the huge burden of unemployment of today and the future. We should introduce subjects in economics, accounting, value addition and enterprise development from infancy to undergraduate levels. Every individual has a right to know and understand the basic concepts of budgeting, supply and demand economics, labour, capital, profit, public & private sectors etc.

Every young Zimbabwean must adopt a culture of wealth creation and loath the culture of consumption through our education system. Computer literacy and access to the internet must be extended to every corner of Zimbabwe to expand the imaginary horizons of every Zimbabwean to the widest.

A new value system

Such curricula will instil in our people a new value system which understands and appreciates true entrepreneurship and promotes economic growth and expansion. Knowledge empowers people to understand their environment better and encourages them to take responsibility for their lives. Empowered citizens are productive because they do things for themselves, they do not expect the government to do everything for them.

The Chinese say: `It is best to teach one how to fish than give him/her a fish to eat.

Let us equip our citizens with the right tools to fight todays challenges of poverty and unemployment. Thinking out of the box, imagination and innovation are our only route towards the economic growth.

My next article will examine the legal system of Zimbabwe and its relevance to entrepreneurship development.

You are welcome to criticise and more importantly propose alternatives to my views expressed above on email: gsgonese@gmail.com.