College enrolment up 10pc
THERE has been a 10 percent increase in enrolment at tertiary institutions following the scrapping of Ordinary Level Mathematics as an entry requirement for 30 courses offered by polytechnics, a Cabinet Minister has said.
In a recent interview, Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said more students without Mathematics at Ordinary Level had enrolled in tertiary institutions across the country.
He said tertiary institutions were given the green light to enrol students without demanding specific subjects such as Mathematics and English, as long as the programmes on offer did not require those subjects.
“What we have seen is an increase in enrolment in these areas where enrolment was going down,” said Prof Murwira. “In actual fact, we have an average of 10 percent increase in enrolment. Enrolment had drastically decreased following the introduction of Ordinary Level Mathematics as an entry requirement for all courses in 2016.
“When Ordinary Level Mathematics was introduced as a requirement for all courses, the enrolment percentage decreased massively. What this meant was disciplines like Hotel and Catering and Art and Design were suffering because everyone with Ordinary Level Mathematics was going to study Engineering. So, we were killing some of the areas of study, but our purpose is an inclusive education.”
Prof Murwira said for example, to demand Mathematics from a student who wanted to study drama was not fair.
He said there was need for tertiary institutions to recognise different types of talents.
“We are a team, everybody plays a different part so that we score and the team wins,” he said.
“Imagine a person with 10 Ordinary Level subjects, but doesn’t have Mathematics, can we then conclude to say that person is dull? Can we deny that person entry into a college? No.”
Prof Murwira said there should be academic freedom in institutions of higher and tertiary education.
Government in 2016 issued a circular addressed to the Higher Education Examination Council (Hexco) directing that students without Mathematics should not be allowed to register for examinations.
However, soon after a new administration came into office last November, tertiary institutions made submissions to the Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Ministry to review the entry qualifications as enrolment was going down.