MINISTRY OF YOUTH CLINCHES SCHOLARSHIP DEAL WITH ONE OF INDIA’S TOP UNIVERSITIES
The Ministry of Sport, Youth, and Arts has clinched a deal with JAIN University of India which will see the institution offer free online training of up to 5,000 Zambian students in skills development and entrepreneurship.
JAIN University is ranked among the top universities in India and offers courses in education, entrepreneurship, research, and sports and currently runs eight campuses across the country.
Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on Acting High Commissioner to India Deliwe Mumbi on Thursday evening, Youth and Sport Permanent Secretary Kangwa Chileshe described the deal as a game changer towards youth empowerment.
Mr. Chileshe says his ministry is happy that the four-day engagement with university management has culminated into the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will be done next month and has further challenged the youths in Zambia to take advantage of the opportunity and attain quality education online.
He says the agreement between JAIN University and his ministry resonates with the Government’s Free Education Policy and the training will widen the scope of opportunities for the young people with an entrepreneurial mind to create employment for others and add to the economic transformation of the country.
He said once trained, Zambian youths will start adding value to most of the agro produce which in most cases goes to waste due to a short shelf life and that adding value to such products is key in increasing foreign earnings as the surplus would be exported to other countries.
He says Zambia has a readily-available market for its agro produce in most of its neighbouring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others.
“The issue of youth empowerment is a multi-sectoral one because youths, who are the majority of Zambians, are in every sector. They are in agriculture, transport, mining, health, education, and so on and therefore, with our cooperation with JAIN University on research and development, we will do a lot.
“One of the things we have discussed is how JAIN University and its team will set up a plant in Zambia for drying food, which they are already doing. The university is currently processing over 22 different products and with the technology they have shown us, we will be able to process fruits and vegetables which we can sell locally or export to other countries thereby creating employment opportunities for young people. There are huge prospects and we are looking at getting 5,000 scholarships for the young people. This is a breakthrough for us as a country,” Mr. Chileshe said.
And JAIN University Senior Manager in charge of International Admissions, Goutam Bhowmick says the university is looking forward to the commencement of the training for Zambian youths soon after the MoU is signed next month.
Mr. Bhowmick says Jain university is humbled to have a delegation from Zambia to carry out its due diligence and expressed satisfaction that the tailor-made free scholarship training programmes for Zambian youths will go a long way in imparting life skills that this would translate into job and wealth creation.
Issued by Bennie Mundando
First Secretary (Press & Tourism)
Zambia High Commission
New Delhi – India