Colleges urged to be self reliant

Higher and Tertiary Education deputy minister Godfrey Gandawa has urged public colleges to stop relying solely on funding from Treasury but seek alternative ways of generating their own cash as government was struggling to meet most of its obligations as a result of the current liquidity crunch.

Addressing graduates at Kwekwe Polytechnic last Friday, Gandawa said: "I am aware that public funding of higher and tertiary education is a very complex matter and has been a perennial challenge and as you may know tertiary educational institutions are dependent on the fiscus for their capital and recurrent expenditure but given the liquidity crunch the economy is currently facing … government cannot go it alone."

He also urged students to apply their newly-acquired skills to launch own self-help projects in light of the shrinking job market.