STEM re-launched

THE Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Technology Development has re-launched the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme which will also include the training of teachers in the field of Science and Mathematics.

In an interview on the sidelines of the official launch of the Science and Mathematics Secondary Teachers Training programme in Gweru last week, Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said the Government was re-introducing STEM which starts by capacitating teachers in the field of Science and Mathematics.

Prof Murwira said it was prudent to first train teachers before giving scholarships to students taking up Science subjects at Advanced Level. He said the Government had capacitated three teachers training colleges; Mkoba Teachers’, Masvingo Teachers’ and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo colleges to enrol students for the Science and Mathematics secondary teachers training programme. Prof Murwira said the ministry had already enrolled 339 students for the training programme.

“We have capacitated three teachers’ training institutions, that’s the first time since independence to train Science and Mathematics Secondary teachers in the country. We know the STEM programme had been designed to be an A-Level scholarship and we said no. Scholarships cannot be given to students when they cannot find teachers to teach them those subjects. So we said teachers first. So today we have launched a successful start of about 339 secondary school Science teachers that we have recruited in the three colleges to start the Science and Mathematics Secondary School Teachers’ Training Programme so that we move STEM forward. In other words STEM is going forward,” he said.

Prof Murwira said there is a teacher deficit of about 5 000 in the country which the ministry was looking forward to fill.

“We have a shortage of teachers of around 5 000 and that is why we are having all these secondary teachers’ training programmes to ensure that we plug that gap,” he said.