Gwanda Share Ownership Trust embarks on programme to fund teachers, pupils

THE Gwanda Community Share Ownership Trust has embarked on a programme to fund teachers and pupils who want to study pure science subjects in the district as part of efforts to support the Government’s STEM initiative.

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. In an interview on Thursday, GCSOT administrator Mr Coster Nkala said in addition, they will build five science laboratories in the district.

“The want to built A-level science laboratories in five schools, one per each chief’s jurisdiction. The idea is to support those areas where we believe that if we sponsor those students, they will become professionals who will come back and plough back to their respective schools, we need them to come back and teach their people at those schools. For those starting from Form Three, we wanted to water the roots of the STEM initiative so that they can continue with it up to university level so that they become engineers and doctors. We have realised that there are pupils who are gifted in science subjects but they face financial problems so we need to help them,” he said.

Mr Nkala said the Trust was liaising with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and chiefs who will help select the beneficiaries.

“For teachers we have not yet decided the number we will sponsor but what we are saying is that they should apply to study pure sciences at any university and we will fund for their studies, we have been targeting especially Bindura University because it specialises in pure sciences. We target both the serving and the non-serving teachers to pursue teaching skills in the science field,” he said.

Matabeleland South Provincial Education Director, Mrs Tumisang Thabela said the idea was noble and would help pupils especially those from rural schools.

“We support the idea because that’s the area where we are mostly lacking. Pupils in rural areas are mostly not included in these programmes so we are happy because this one targets mainly them. We will be looking at the ability of students in the science fields and we have formed a committee and have assigned them to come up with a criteria to select beneficiaries. As for teachers we have not yet received the proposal so I can’t comment about it,” said Mrs Thabela.

The Government is running a STEM initiative where through the Zimbabwe Development Fund (Zimdef), it is paying tuition, levies and boarding fees for all students doing sciences at A-level.