SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE DEPUTY MINISTER

OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, SCIENCE

AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ON TOWARDS
AN INCREASED AND SUSTAINABLE ENGAGEMENT
WITH STEM

ZIMBABWE

HON DR GODFREY GANDAWA (MP)

MUTARE TEACHERS COLLEGE GRADUATION

FRIDAY 05 MAY 2017
SALUTATIONS

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 Director of Ceremonies, the Acting Vice Principal, Mr.
G. K. Munjoma;
The Acting Principal of Mutare Teachers College: Mr.
F. Mushosho;
Minister of state for Manicaland Province
Honourable M. Chimene
The Representative of the Vice Chancellor the
University of Zimbabwe Professor Pedzisai
Mashiri
The Acting Director, Tertiary Education Programmes,
Mrs. S. D. Zivanayi;
The UZ DTE Programme Coordinator, Professor
Boniface R. S. Chivore
The Vice Chancellor of Africa University, Professor
M. Furusa
The Zimbabwe Open University Regional
Coordinator; Mr. K. Saruchera
The Vice Chancellor of Midlands State University: or
his representative;
Service Chiefs here present;
Chief Zimunya and VaHosi Zimunya;
Provincial Heads of Ministries and Government
Departments;

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 Chairperson of the College Advisory Council Mr. E. F.
Mangwarara and all members of the College
Advisory Council here present;
His Worship, The Mayor of Mutare, Councillor
Tatenda Nhemarare;
The Town Clerk of the City of Mutare, Mr Malingwa;
Principals of sister Tertiary Institutions or their
representatives here present;
Mutare Teachers College staff ;
School Heads here present;
Distinguished Guests;
Graduands, their spouses, relatives and friends;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Comrades and friends.

I am elated to have this opportunity to join you in

celebrating Mutare Teachers Colleges 2017 Graduation
Ceremony where four hundred and seventy (470)

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students are graduating today comprising 168 males and
302 females.
Director of ceremonies, in line with the STEM initiative,
Im pleased to note that 81.75% (327) of the graduands
are in the STEM disciplines with 184 students (86 females
and 98 males) majoring in Mathematics, 53 students (25
females and 28 males) majoring in Science, and 90
students (58 females and 32 males) majoring in
Computer Studies. On this note, Mutare Teachers College
is highly applauded for embracing STEM in its curriculum
because this greatly assists in attaining our national
socio-economic transformation. Ladies and gentlemen, it
has become a global agenda to direct efforts towards an
education which has been proven to inspire students to
reach their full potential through inquisitive thinking,
research, innovation and problem solving.
Director of ceremonies, the Graduation theme: Towards
an Increased and Sustainable Engagement with
STEM augers very well at a cursory glance with the
statistics of STEM graduands of 2017 at this college. Let
me acknowledge that your inclusion of STEM subjects like
Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer
Science is keeping in line with the Ministrys initiative.
Thus Mutare Teachers College is doing its part in
educating and training students in the STEM studies
which are foundations for research and development to
propel engineering processes that are necessary for
industrialisation.

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Ladies and gentlemen may I remind you that more than
50 percent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is
quite young. Most of this population is below 25 years of
age. Thus every year for the next decade we expect 11
million African youths to enter the job market. This young
population has been labeled a demographic
dividend. It is important to underscore that this so-
called demographic dividend offers a tremendous
opportunity for Africa to build a valuable base of human
capital that will serve as the engine for the economic
transformation of our continent. To be clear, it represents
a dividend only if these young people are appropriately
educated, trained and made employable and
entrepreneurial when equipped with requisite skills which
will enable them to participate meaningfully in the socio-
economic transformation.
Director of ceremonies, this is why the Ministry of Higher
and Tertiary Education Science and Technology
Development is mandated to ensure that our institutions
play a key role in socio-economic transformation of our
country through the implementation of the STEM
initiative.
The journey to STEMitisation involves changing the mind-
set of the teacher, the curriculum and how the curriculum
is brought to life or taught. In support of STEM education,
David Warlick, a scientist, said
We need technology in every classroom and in
every student and teachers hand, because it is the

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pen and paper of our time and it is the lens
through which we experience much of our world.
STEM education is therefore not a list of science subjects
taught. It is a way of teaching and learning which includes
making students better problem solvers, innovators,
inventors, self-reliant, logical thinkers and technologically
literate (Morrison, 2006). Application of 21st Century
teaching methodologies should be versatile in ICTs and
digital technologies that are greatly enhanced in order to
accelerate the national socio-economic transformation.
This is how India, Japan, China and Malaysia have become
economic giants that they are due to the seriousness
they put in a STEMitised education system.
Ladies and gentlemen, you will agree with me that STEM
subjects need relevant resources. Resources in our
Tertiary Institutions should therefore promote the
teaching of STEM. A host of our institutions need to
upgrade science and computer laboratories and requisite
science resources in preparation of the expected
increased enrolment for STEM subjects. Currently we
have a total of 10 495 students doing STEM subjects at
A level most of which will be absorbed by universities
and the remainder by Teachers Colleges and Polytechnics.
An increase in STEM graduands at Teachers Colleges is
therefore likely to result in an increase in high schools
offering STEM subjects. The shortage of STEM based
subject educators resulted in students who were good at
Science ending up doing something else rather than the
science they exceled at. This inadvertently and adversely
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affects our institutions of higher learning failing to get the
required scientifically oriented cadre.
Needless to say, the ripple effects are felt in industry and
commerce, hence the call for a new thinking where STEM
becomes the watchword in our educational institutions.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me not be misconstrued to
mean that the Arts and Commercials must be ignored, no.
It is only that hitherto, they have enjoyed undaunted
primacy. The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education,
Science and Technology Development, would like to see
curricula at teachers colleges go more entrepreneurial in
line with what Peter F. Drucker advocated by saying:
Since we live in an age of innovation, a
practical education must prepare a man for
work that does not yet exist and cannot yet be
clearly defined.
For instance, instead of our language students being only
able to critique works of other authors, I will be happy to
see language courses that require the students to
produce a novelette, a sheaf of poems, plays and our
practical subjects instilling in our students principles of
industry and entrepreneurship. I would like to see
students creating new and innovative fashion designs and
new recipes. Yes, it would be pleasing to see an Art and
Design course that awards its students marks in relation
to articles made and sold as well as sales accrued. A
course requiring our Music students to create live bands,

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compose and market music pieces would also be
welcome and timely.
In view of the need to sustain the STEM drive it is now
therefore pertinent that the educators, the administrators
and the advisory councils in tertiary institutions be
compliant to this initiative.
Mr. Acting Principal, lest we forget, this day belongs to
these brand new teachers, our ambassadors in socio-
economic transformation. Allow me on everyones behalf
to usher them out. To you graduands, I say go out there
and perform your duties in the most professional and
dedicated manner. Further educate yourselves, especially
in the appropriate fields.
On a parting note, I say to every one of you, be an
informed practitioner because our world is changing so
fast and we need people who cope with new challenges in
this global village.

Makorokoto!
Amhlope!
Congratulation!

I THANK YOU.

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