Source: Govt in initiative to bridge science teachers gap – herald
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister Simelisizwe Sibanda (right) hands over cash prizes and a trophy to the overall best student, 35-year-old Ms Vimbainashe Mamhova who graduated with four distinctions in Early Childhood Development at Bondolfi Teachers’ College in Masvingo yesterday. – Picture: MHTEISTD Communications and Advocacy Officer Kudakwashe Hunda.Trust Freddy-Herald Correspondent
THE Government has moved to address the shortage of science educators in schools, with Bondolfi Teachers’ College set to roll out a specialised secondary science teacher-training programme in August.
The initiative, backed by the State-funded retooling and upgrading of the institution’s science laboratories, forms part of a broader national strategy to strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education across Zimbabwe.
Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Simelisizwe Sibanda, said this at the Bondolfi Teachers’ College’s 61st graduation and prize-giving ceremony in Masvingo yesterday.
The event, which ran under the theme, “Empowering 21st Century educators: Driving industrialisation through Heritage-Based Excellence”, saw 347 graduates being capped.
Ms Vimbainashe Mamhova emerged as the overall best graduating student and received cash prizes from six corporate sponsors.
Addressing the gathering, Deputy Minister Sibanda said the launch of the science programme complements ongoing Government efforts to expand the pool of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) educators to drive national industrialisation.
“Zimbabwe continues to face a shortage of secondary STEM teachers.
“I am, therefore, pleased to announce that Bondolfi Teachers College will launch its Diploma in Secondary Science Teacher Education Programme in August 2026,” Deputy Minister Sibanda said.
He added that the Tertiary Education Services Council will oversee the recruitment and placement of high-calibre academic personnel to support the programme.
“The Tertiary Education Services Council stands ready to provide the necessary academic personnel, and the Ministry will work closely with the Council to ensure recruitment and placement meet the highest standards.”
Deputy Minister Sibanda also revealed that the Government has formally engaged with the Treasury to release development grants for church-run tertiary institutions.
“The Ministry has formally engaged Treasury for the release of the development grant to church-run colleges,” he said.
“We recognise the immense contribution faith-based institutions have made to teacher education, particularly in under-served rural areas, and it is right that our Government fulfils its obligation to support their development.
“We shall continue to engage Treasury to prioritise these disbursements without much delay.”
Of the graduating class, 315 were female and 32 were male, representing a 90,9 percent to 9,1 percent gender split.
The cohort comprised 120 General Course and 227 Early Childhood Development (ECD) educators.
Deputy Minister Sibanda noted that the gender disparity remains a challenge and called for targeted strategies to attract more male students into the teaching profession to ensure inclusivity.
He also challenged the 347 graduates to spearhead Zimbabwe’s industrialisation through “heritage-based excellence”, a core pillar of the country’s economic blueprint towards Vision 2030.
Bondolfi Teachers’ College principal Dr Esnati Macharaga expressed gratitude to the Government and reiterated the college’s commitment to producing 21st-century educators who are innovative, technologically competent and grounded in national heritage.
“We recognise that teachers are not merely transmitters of knowledge but architects of society,” Dr Macharaga said.
“We believe that excellence in education is best achieved when our students appreciate where they come from and use that foundation to innovate for the future.”
Speaking after her historic academic clean sweep, Ms Mamhova challenged other women and girls to strive for academic excellence.
“I enrolled for an Early Childhood Development Diploma in 2023, completed it, and emerged as the overall best graduating student,” she said.
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