Following the recent launch of the book, “Redefining Zimbabwe’s Education System: ED Mnangagwa’s Vision and Transformational Leadership”, the EDevolution Media (EM) caught up with one of the authors, Professor Prof Charles Pfukwa (CP), to shed more light on the inspiration behind the book. Read the excerpts . . .
EM: Professor Pfukwa, you’ve been quite vocal about the importance of nurturing the intellectual potential of local children. Could you elaborate on why you believe this is crucial?
CP: Certainly, we need to give our children the right advice and opportunities that will enable them to realise their full potential. The education of our children is as important as every other effort and measure we are adopting to make our country a leader on the continent. The noble aspirations we have for the nation, for the continent, for black people, will come to naught if they do not get residence in our children. Thus, our education system must be ready to mould citizens that will fully appreciate what it means to be an African, to be Zimbabwean.
EM: In the book you produced with your fellow scholars, you wrote about the grand vision of President Mnangagwa, which includes putting education at the centre of the development matrix. Tell us if you think a relevant and meaningful education system is critical for national growth.
CP: I am rather saddened when some of our geniuses express a desire to go and learn abroad feeling that it is only out of the country where they can get the best of education. But our medical schools are competitive and so are other institutions. We must accommodate our children and give them the best of facilities. Nations thrive as a result of the type of citizens they produce from their tertiary institutions.
EM: You have referred to a new struggle, a ‘Quad-Chimurenga’, an idea expressed by President Mnangagwa as Chimurenga Chepfungwa, which focuses on the intellectual space. How does this differ from the previous struggles that Zimbabwe has fought?
CP: This new struggle is intensely cerebral, calling for the highest level of intellectual endeavour, mastery and excellence in scholarship. It is our children that must carry the vision of our nation and ensure it comes to fruition. Our children must be at the forefront of ideologically and intellectually engaging the same enemy whom we beat in the battlefield. We must take the struggles of Chimurenga to new intellectual trajectories so that future generations continue with the rich legacy of our struggles.
EM: In this intellectual struggle, you emphasise the importance of Zimbabwean scholarship. Tell us what this entails.
CP: Zimbabwean scholarship should set the appropriate research agenda, celebrating our Zimbabwean-ness, our heritage and cultures. We should research, document and celebrate our own knowledge systems, creating new theories and new thinking, which builds upon the gains we have made. Africa has always had the misfortune of placing the West at the centre of human experience and development. It is this frame of thinking that we must uproot, especially in our young geniuses.
EM: In your view, how can Zimbabweans effectively shift the focus away from Western-centric views in education?
CP: It starts with our education system. We must teach our children to critically analyse information and challenge established narratives. By emphasising Zimbabwean scholarship and celebrating our own knowledge systems, we can empower our youth to see themselves as contributors to global knowledge, rather than just consumers of Western ideas. It’s a gradual process, but one that is essential for reclaiming our intellectual sovereignty. And President Mnangagwa has put us on the right trajectory. Going forward, we can only grow.
EM: Thank you, Prof Pfukwa, for sharing your insights on this critical issue of education and the must-read book you co-authored with your fellow scholars and Pan-African thinkers.
CP: My pleasure. Education is a topic that requires continuous dialogue and action.
