By Idah Mhetu in Victoria Falls

HIGHER Education Minister Amon Murwira has questioned how Zimbabweans, reported to be the most literate population in Africa, were ironically failing to run their ‘dead’ industry.

The minister was speaking at a dialogue on the sub-themes of the regional forum, during the ongoing Sixth Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development.

He said Zimbabwe’s literacy rate currently stood at 97% while manufacturing companies where not functioning.

“Zimbabwe has produced 97% literacy in this country. People can read and write, I tell you but we are importing food. We have low industrialization levels. So we have come to ask ourselves what really education is about?” said Murwira.

“So we must look at real education, how to educate Africa to become modernised and industrialised.

“People must be educated to be confident and to contribute and know that industry does not fall from the sky but it can be produced from Africa and Africa can rise on a good education model.”

Murwira said locals must be taught on how to utilise their resources to productivity.

“Africans must be taught how to use African resources for the prosperity of Africa. There is need for new knowledge, some of the knowledge that we are having is tired.

“So we should be able to explore the diversity of the world to produce new knowledge.

“Let’s look at our educational pipeline. The hunger and the poverty because of the education that we give. If it’s wrong, it will result into poverty, if it’s right it will result into industrialisation and modernisation. So let’s look at our educational pipeline, it’s design and it philosophy.”