Northern Province Permanent Secretary, Bernard Mpundu says there is need to scale-up the promotion of science, technology and innovation among leaners.
Mr. Mpundu said there is need to ensure that leaners are educated in ways that will make them creative, resilient, resourceful and innovative.
He was speaking when he graced the 2022 Provincial Junior Engineers Technicians Scientists (JETS) Fair in Kasama,
Mr. Mpundu said this in a speech read for him by Northern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Lewis Mwape.
He noted that education plays a vital role in boosting young people’s confidence to enable them contribute to the transformation of lives, communities and the country as whole.
“I hope this fair demonstrated value addition, displayed innovation that has a potential to create jobs and these innovations are a nucleus for further research,” said Mr Mpundu.
Mr. Mpundu added that the younger generation is required to work in diverse, flexible and innovative ways.
He said this can be done through the promotion of JETS activities at all levels of the education system.
“There is need to nurture talent and energy of the youths to develop the required values to drive the agenda of industrialization in the context of the vision 2030, agenda 2063 and the 8th National Development Plan roadmap,” he said.
And Northern Province Education Officer, Mulambwa Nawa said the Ministry of Education is doing everything possible to ensure that it imparts knowledge among pupils which will benefit the communities where they live in and the nation at large.
Mr. Nawa said government will support the initiative by the pupils at all levels for them to realize their potential.
“Without science, we would not be where we are as a community, province and a nation hence we will put emphasis on the promotion of science,” he said.
The 2022 JETS fair was held under the theme, ‘Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship through skills transfer and digital literacy, towards value addition, job creation and linkages with industry and community.’
Mungwi District emerged as the overall winners whereas Kasama and Mpulungu districts scooped the second and third positions respectively.
Great days are gone when JETS was producing the genius like the mad scientist from Kamwala Secondary School. I even forgot his name. Can so one remind me of his name and his whereabouts. I remember seeing his projects at the university of Zambia in 1973, 1974 and in 1976. Later, I saw one of his projects the “The Floating Bubbles” refined and being sold as house decoration in shops in England. It seems experts gain from intellectual discoveries from our children. It is important to have such expositions. But at the same it is important to guide, protect and patent such projects.