NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda yesterday said plans were afoot to introduce a five-year diploma and degree programmes for MPs as part of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-economic Transformation (ZimAsset) blueprint.
VENERANDA LANGA SENIOR REPORTER Mudenda announced the plans at a Harare hotel during a capacity-building workshop for legislators.
“We are in the process of introducing an accredited customised five-year capacity university programme for MPs, from certificate level to post-doctoral level as a measure of practical implementation of the ZimAsset framework,” he said.
“The university programme will involve a consortium of five to 10 local and international universities who will ensure that the programme is accredited through internal structures in terms of their university ordinances and quality assurance education institutions.”
According to Mudenda, the university-level ZimAsset programme would remain useful to MPs even after leaving Parliament as they would be able to implement the acquired economic survival strategies in their day- to-day lives.
“While the executive makes policies and implements them, Parliament plays a pivotal role in calling them to account for their actions, and to ensure the State and all its institutions and agencies of the government act constitutionally and in the national interest and that they are accountable to Parliament,” he said.
“Parliament must ensure corruption is uprooted and that results-based management is implemented. The Speaker will not gag anyone in this regard.”
However, opposition parties have said the policy document launched by the Zanu PF government last October was bound to fail due to underfunding.
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Zanu PF insists that the plan would be funded through domestic resources, external borrowings, Diaspora bonds and joint ventures. Vice-President Joice Mujuru, who was the guest of honour, also spoke against corruption.
“We should all shun corruption in all its efforts and forms,” she said. “The government is unanimous in its resolve to eradicate this scourge and urges legislators to support ZimAsset.”
MPs from across the political spectrum said it was imperative for them to work together to rehabilitate infrastructure, ensure value addition of mineral resources and reduce bureaucratic and unfavourable investment and tax regimes.
