By Advent Shoko
CHINHOYI – Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU PF, has unveiled a student innovation competition and scholarship programme at Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), offering cash, laptops and tuition support as the institution prepares to host the party’s 23rd National People’s Conference.
The Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa Campus Renewal, Enhancement, Signage and Technology (CREST) Challenge is being implemented by businessman and Gokwe-North District Coordinating Committee chairperson Justice Mayor Wadyajena as part of projects linked to the President’s legacy programme.
The initiative is expected to be commissioned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa during the conference, which runs from October 12 to 17 under the theme, “From Resolutions to Results: Consolidating Economic Development and Deepening Empowerment Towards Vision 2030.”
The CREST competition will invite students from different faculties to develop practical ideas for improving the university environment, including designs for façade enhancement and permanent signage at three facilities.
Presidential Campus Renewal Project Strategy and Communications Director Chiedza Danha said the competition was designed to turn students from passive beneficiaries into contributors to the development of their institution.
“The CREST Competition is essentially a campus beautification and enhancement initiative that brings together students from different faculties and disciplines to develop innovative ideas for improving their campus environment,” Danha said.
Scholarships raise the stakes
Running alongside CREST is the Presidential Reward for Innovation, Merit and Excellence (PRIME) Scholarships, which will reward outstanding students.
The top three winners will each receive an all-inclusive scholarship covering the remainder of their studies, together with US$1,000, a laptop and an iPhone 18.
Three first runners-up will receive full tuition for the remainder of their studies, US$750 and a laptop.
Three second runners-up will receive tuition for one academic year, US$500 and a laptop, while three third runners-up will receive tuition for one semester, US$200 and a laptop.
The three fourth runners-up will each receive US$100 and a laptop.
That means 12 students stand to receive prizes under the current structure, with the biggest awards combining education funding and technology support.
CUT Vice Chancellor Professor Irvine Mpofu welcomed the scholarship initiative, saying competition could give students another incentive to develop their ideas and participate in university projects.
“The scholarships that have been launched are an inspiration to our students, the involvement of students in a competition is inspiring, our students are going to benefit a lot,” Mpofu said.
He also thanked Wadyajena and Mnangagwa for the initiative.
“We thank Honourable Wadyajena, and obviously the Chancellor (Mnangagwa) who assigned him for this noble project,” Mpofu said.
More than a student competition
The CREST and PRIME programmes form part of a broader package of infrastructure and student-development projects being undertaken at CUT ahead of the conference.
ZANU PF is also delivering a campus safety and security headquarters, a three-bedroom caretaker’s residence and a modern students’ ablution block equipped with showers and facilities for students living with disabilities.
The projects come as CUT prepares to host thousands of party delegates and becomes the centre of national political attention next week.
Conference preparations have already included improvements to infrastructure around the university and in Chinhoyi. Officials have described the work as a longer-term legacy for Mashonaland West rather than infrastructure intended only for the conference.
The development drive has also generated debate around the impact of conference preparations on students. Reports last month said some students staying at university accommodation were asked to vacate their hostels to make way for conference-related arrangements.
Against that backdrop, the CREST competition gives students a direct role in shaping part of the university environment they use every day.
For Wadyajena and the organisers, the bigger test will be whether the competition produces practical ideas that remain useful after the political spotlight moves away from Chinhoyi.
For the students, however, the immediate opportunity is clear: innovative ideas could now translate into tuition, technology and financial support, while helping reshape their own campus.
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