I will be honest, I don’t really know what’s going on in the political realm in Zimbabwe. Apparently there are pushes to amend the constitution to allow Mnangagwa to run for a third term. Also, Chamisa still exists and has some interesting ideas.
Nelson Chamisa, formerly of CCC and MDC and MDC-T, says he is still passionate about Zimbabwe. I won’t be the judge of that. What I can look into are his so-called data-driven plans to tackle the country’s brain drain problem.
After watching 6,788 students graduate from the UZ, Chamisa remarked that the market was not ready to absorb them. Which then leads to brain drain. So, he has ideas on how to rectify that.
Data-driven Citizens’ Affairs Plan
The proposed plan is a data-driven approach aimed at managing citizens’ development from birth through adulthood to address the misalignment between education and job market absorption.
The plan will monitor each individual from birth, assigning them a national identity number that will track their progress through education and into the workforce.
By leveraging data, the plan aims to ensure that the job market is ready to absorb graduates into roles that match their qualifications, reducing unemployment and brain drain.
The plan addresses the current issues where Zimbabwean graduates, despite significant investments in their education, often struggle to find employment due to a lack of market demand and strategic planning.
This data-led approach will help create clear career paths for citizens, ensuring that educational achievements lead to tangible economic growth and prosperity.
In short, the plan seeks to bridge the gap between education and employment, transforming the nation’s investment in human capital into meaningful contributions to Zimbabwe’s development.
I think we can all agree that we lose when we educate humans from their toddler years to tertiary, only to lose them to other countries.
Pros
The pros are easy to digest:
Personalised Development:
- Tailored Career Paths: By tracking individuals from birth and analysing data throughout their lives, the government can create personalised career paths that align with market needs and individual skills.
- Targeted Education and Training: The plan could help ensure that educational programs are aligned with market demands, reducing the gap between education and employment. This is dear to me, I know too many people who studied something only to work in completely unrelated fields. Most of these people did not change their passions but rather found that what they studied has no career prospects.
Efficient Resource Allocation:
- Optimised Investment: By using data to match graduates with job opportunities, the government can better allocate resources towards sectors with the highest demand, potentially improving economic efficiency.
- Strategic Planning: With a data-driven approach, the government can identify emerging industries and invest in relevant educational programs, fostering future economic growth.
Reduction of Brain Drain:
- Enhanced Job Opportunities: A comprehensive plan could create more job opportunities locally, reducing the incentive for graduates to seek employment abroad.
- Talent Retention: By aligning education with job market needs, the plan could help retain skilled professionals within the country.
Improved Economic Growth:
- Increased Productivity: Ensuring that graduates are employed in roles that match their qualifications could lead to higher productivity and economic growth. It stands to reason that when people end up in fields they didn’t study for, they likely won’t be as productive.
- Human Capital Development: Investing in the strategic development of human capital can enhance overall national development and prosperity.
Data-Driven Decision Making:
- Informed Policies: Utilising data and statistical models allows for more informed policy decisions, potentially leading to better outcomes for citizens.
It wouldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows though.
Cons
Privacy Concerns:
- Data Security: Collecting and monitoring personal data from birth raises significant privacy and security concerns. Ensuring robust data protection measures would be essential. At a time when some security companies say Zimbabwe is one of the third most cyber-attacked countries in the world, this is a real concern.
- Surveillance Risks: The extensive monitoring required could be perceived as intrusive, potentially leading to resistance from ‘Citizens.’
Implementation Challenges:
- Complex Infrastructure: Establishing a comprehensive system to track and manage data from birth through adulthood would require significant resources and technological infrastructure. I have serious doubts the Zimbabwean government would be able to pull it off.
- Data Integration Issues: Integrating data across various sectors (education, employment, health) can be complex and prone to errors. The folks over at Mukwati Building likely won’t be enthusiastic about the added work.
Potential for Inequality:
- Access Disparities: If not carefully designed, the system might exacerbate existing inequalities, with some individuals having better access to opportunities based on their data profiles. In addition, those with ‘uncles and aunts’ well-placed atvarious government departments could get a leg up.
- Regional Imbalances: Differences in data quality and infrastructure between regions could lead to uneven implementation and opportunities. Will Matebeleland North fall even more behind Harare? Probably.
Economic and Political Risks:
- Market Fluctuations: The plan assumes a stable job market, but economic and political instability could affect the availability of jobs and the effectiveness of the plan. What would be the point of going through all this if the economic situation is not solved and jobs are not created?
- Resistance to Change: There may be resistance from various stakeholders, including educational institutions, employers, and ‘Citizens’, especially if the plan disrupts existing systems. Academia is not as open to ideas like these.
Over-Reliance on Data:
- Predictive Limitations: Relying heavily on data and statistical models may not account for unforeseen changes in the job market or individual career paths.
- Innovation Stifling: A rigid system based on data may stifle creativity and innovation if it overly prioritises statistical predictions over personal interests and passions.
Neat idea though
I think the Citizens’ Affairs Plan is a neat idea. However, I don’t see the Zimbabwean government working well with all the stakeholders involved to make it a success. The same would most likely apply even if it was a Chamisa-led government.
The plan faces considerable challenges, including privacy concerns, implementation complexities, and potential economic and political risks.
Of course, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. However, it all sounds a little pie-in-the-sky at the moment. Neat idea as it is.
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Good corporate governance at government agencies
Reduction of Corruption.
Resuscitation of financial markets and restoration of banking systems.
Fiscal consolidations
Stability in policy making and implementation( we issue to much statutes)
Privatization of some of parastatals
Management of our BOP current account and liquidity by not financing infrastructure projects with short term finance.
Dollarization.
This is what is needed urgently not with the order i gave with. Brainstorming is good but some of the ideas are too farfetched at this point and they don’t help in the interim, we should put all hands on deck in finding solutions that address our current concerns.
My niqqa you’re spitting fire. Sometimes we make it seem like it’s rocket science when we know what we need to do to get out of this mess.
Fantastical ideas are fun and all but not what we actually need.
I think the first move is to scrap certain Degree programmes.
PapaGee don’t let Academia hear you say that 😂. You’re right though, we need to overhaul our whole education system.
A surprising number of influential people in Academia hates it when people say they exist to prepare kids for the job market. They feel they are there to open minds, challenge them philosophically etc. Which to be fair they should do but if kids leave college with skills not needed in the market and without any entrepreneurial skills, then what was the point?
iko kutomboita degree ratove drama. Today’s job market demands flexibility. To succeed, you need multiple skills. Automation and competition are rising, and having only one skill set isn’t enough.
Traditional education often limits your options. Studying one field, like accounting or supply chain management puts you in a box. You see person always seeking employment in their line of study and become obselete because they cant think outside that box.
You must learn to adapt.
It’s time to change. We need to:
1. Learn multiple skills
2. Adapt quickly
3. Create new income streams
4. Continuously update our skills
Unfortunately, you’re right. I say unfortunately because college is not giving kids those skills and knowledge.
Gone are the days when our parents got one skill and made a 40 year career from it. You can’t afford to have all those skills eggs in one basket anymore. If you can’t adapt, you’re in trouble.
It’s not easy to adapt, let alone have a lot of skills even Charles Darwin would agree with me. That may be possible with a brain implant 😂😂😂 but you know you can not train an old kutu🐶 new tricks. Atleast our education system doesn’t allow it. We are robots programed to do one task, an automation.
Did Lenny, think those pros & cons, or it was chatgpt, 😁🤔
We worked together 🤣. I gave him my pros and cons and he added some and challenged some. Then I decided which ones were the strongest.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 ah people and AI 🙌
this chamisa is now just talking in order to try and stay relevant, same as hopewell chinono …. waste of a mouth and a brain …
Our economy is broken. Every second the powers that be, delay tackling the threat of the ever growing informal sector, the worse it gets. What we need is a radical approach to reign in and regularize informal sector participants. There is a lot of money being made in the streets, and those benefiting are not contributing their fair share to the fiscus.
The few who are active in the formal space are heavily taxed, and abused by Statutory Instruments. This puts further constraints on this sector, fueling growth of the other side. A vicious cycle rages on.
Bold interventionist policies are needed to address the problems that have been swept under the carpet due to the devasting economic challenges of the past. There is a lost generation who are approaching middle age but donot know what a payslip looks like. It is ironic then. that a certain political party harps on about “leaving no one behind”, when many have been left behind and forgotten.
Time to change your name. What you’re saying is ‘extremely’ topical and pertinent. Kudos Mr Lenny this article is a masterpiece.
It sounds like a CIO recruitment SOP. On the more alarm end, it reads like a Chinese Manifesto for tightening a grip on power. Personally, i have grown to realise that i love multiple professions and i can ivest time to develop them and succeed , the plan may be limiting to some extent. It may lock individuals in specific areas even when their love for it has died. Also remember that you may excel at Mathematics but you love to be a lawyer as a profession.
Akati kudzidza hakuperi akagumisira tsumo panzira. You must learn to adapt to changing times. All these subject come together as you grow, maths, science, languages, history, accounting, commerce, geography etc. They are all components of God’s created gifts . You have to be flexible in your approach to life’s challenges and adapt in all knowledge areas.
Giving Govt the major responsibility for yours and your children’s personal development can lead to failure. Havazvigoni izvi.
We dont want to be led by the stick. Like bro if i want to be a doc let me work for it not to be told be a math teacher coz im good at it. If this is implemented i dont mind having my kids learn in other countries coz this is stupid
The problems begin when you fall outside the average. The system will feel oppressive and manipulative to you.
How is that going to help him get into power, & he needs to be in power to implement it, so its a waste of time