ZOU EPM Graduates Challenged to Become Wealth Creators Under Education 5.0

On 10 October 2025, the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) celebrated a significant milestone today, as a cohort of participants graduated from the intensive four-day Events Planning and Management (EPM) Short Course at a ceremony held in the 6th Floor Boardroom. The graduates were immediately challenged to embrace the principles of Education 5.0 by shifting from jobseekers to job creators and making a tangible contribution to the national economy.

Dr. Godfrey Tsvuura who was standing in for the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Academic Affairs (PVC AA), delivers his keynote address which graduands follow proceedings

Dr. Godfrey Tsvuura who was standing in for the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Academic Affairs (PVC AA), delivered the keynote address, emphasising that the graduates have chosen to be people who “make things happen”.

Dr Tsvuura highlighted that the journey of acquiring skills in Events Planning and Management clearly resonates with the national Education 5.0 philosophy. This policy requires higher and tertiary education institutions to produce graduates who drive innovation and industrialisation.

“There is a clarion call for institutions of higher learning to produce graduates who create employment instead of hunting for employment,” Dr. Tsvuura stated. The graduates were assured that they were equipped to “go out there and make money, create real wealth, and support your families”.

The university’s leadership positioned the new event management practitioners as vital contributors to the nation, noting that through the business enterprises they start, they will “contribute to government revenue through paying taxes, and this will definitely grow the economy”.

Dr. Tsvuura who wore double hats also stood as, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies, under which the Department of Media and Journalism Studies offers the course. He praised the participants for their commitment to the short programme, which ran from Monday, 6th October 2025.

Over the four days, the graduates acquired comprehensive knowledge and skills in critical areas of event production, including: Defining an Event, Event Planning and Management, Marketing the Event, Mapping the Event Agenda, Etiquette and Décor, Executing the Event and Event Recording

In a closing address, the Dean offered a strong vote of confidence to the new graduates: “My word to you, you have done well. Now go out there and be fruitful as Event Planners and Managers. Congratulations!”.

The PVC AA concluded by encouraging the graduates to be ambassadors and practitioners in the Events Planning and Management sector, marking the ceremony as a “significant milestone in the empowerment agenda”.

Event Planning Management in Pictures