The Zimbabwean Government should channel proceeds from the expected exportation of unemployed graduates towards improving working conditions and development of human capita locally to ensure maximum gain from the move, scholars have said.
Earlier this week, Government said it was targeting to generate foreign currency through the export of graduates and has renewed negotiations with South Sudan to send unemployed graduates to that country.
Speaking in separate interviews with this publication, different academics welcomed the idea of sending human capital abroad as a noble cause that will reduce the unemployment through giving jobless graduates a shot at employment.
The Journalism and Media Studies Department chairperson at NUST, Thabani Mpofu, said this was a welcome development adding that the government should ensure that they get funds which can be invested back home to create more jobs.
He also called for the expansion of the program beyond South Sudan to other countries as well .
“Where you have organized export labor, its better than when people just go as individuals and the Government doesn’t even know who is where and what they are doing. They should however ensure that out of the exported labor, they are getting some funds which will be invested back home to improve our working environment and create more jobs. It’s an indirect way of tackling brain drain,” Mpofu said.
Stella Mpofu, a Part IV Psychology student at the Midlands State University hailed the move, saying it gives hope to students and unemployed graduates who have lost their dignity as they are working in areas they did not study for.
She added that the program should however been done in an organized and thorough fashion to protect its citizens from exploitation in foreign land.
“This will make many graduates happy as it means that there is a chance of getting employed. Most people just graduate and end up as airtime vendors which is very demoralising. Zimbabwe should then make sure they get the most out of the bilateral agreement and make sure its citizens are not ill-treated,” she said.
Some section of the society denounced government for sending citizens to a war tone country which is considered a high risk.
Others raised a red flag over the issue of brain drain saying this might lead to a shortage of critical personnel when need arises.
Government has previously indicated that it was working on a policy to export graduates with more than 16 000 registered under the scheme.
