Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. Dr. Frederick Shava
By Staff Writer
Zimbabwe’s drive to transform its education system through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), innovation and inclusive learning gathered momentum on Thursday as 914 graduates were capped at the 39th Graduation and Prize Giving Ceremony of Belvedere Technical Teachers College (BTTC), with Government highlighting teacher education as a cornerstone of national development.
Addressing the graduation ceremony in Harare, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. Dr. Frederick Shava, said the country’s Heritage-Based Education 5.0 model was reshaping teacher training to produce graduates capable of driving industrialisation, innovation and rural development.
The ceremony, held under the theme “Driving Innovation and Rural Industrialisation for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth,” saw 914 students graduate from teacher education and HEXCO programmes. Of these, 704 qualified as teachers while 210 completed HEXCO programmes. Women accounted for 76.7 percent of the graduating class.
Dr. Shava said the graduating class reflected Zimbabwe’s growing emphasis on STEM education, with all HEXCO graduates and more than 96 percent of teacher graduates trained in STEM disciplines.
“Overall, 97 percent of this graduating class comprises STEM graduates, demonstrating Belvedere Technical Teachers College’s strong alignment with national development priorities,” he said.
The Minister said human capital development remained central to Government’s development agenda, adding that policies were being implemented to expand access to higher education while ensuring that disadvantaged learners, persons with disabilities and marginalised communities were not left behind.
He said Belvedere Technical Teachers College had enrolled 28 STEM students under the MasterCard Foundation Scholarship programme and was among six institutions participating in the FAWEZI MasterCard Foundation initiative, which is supporting 207 marginalised STEM students from across Zimbabwe’s ten provinces. The programme reserves places for persons with disabilities and refugee youth.
The institution has also enrolled 107 students under its Work-for-Fees programme and 82 students living with various disabilities, with efforts underway to procure assistive learning devices.
In a significant policy announcement, Dr. Shava said Government had introduced reforms aimed at preserving indigenous languages.
He revealed that under Circular No. 1 of 2026, Mathematics would no longer be a compulsory entry requirement for students wishing to specialise in Indigenous Minority Languages teaching from the first semester of 2026.
The Minister said the move recognises indigenous languages, culture and traditional knowledge as strategic national assets under Zimbabwe’s Heritage-Based Education 5.0 philosophy.
Beyond classroom instruction, Government challenged higher education institutions to become drivers of rural industrialisation and community development.
Dr. Shava commended BTTC for partnering with the Rukoba community in Banket, which has offered the college 30 hectares of land for the establishment of a Technical High School. He also praised the institution’s Integrated Skills Expansion Outreach Programme, which has delivered infrastructure projects including an Advanced Level complex at Goromonzi High School and a female hostel at Ridziwi High School in Mhangura.
However, he urged the college to improve trade testing for outreach trainees, noting that only 15 out of 252 candidates had attained Class Two and Class Three trade qualifications, while the remainder were still awaiting practical assessments.
The Minister also applauded the college’s income-generating projects, including a clothing factory, water purification and bottling plant, construction ventures and agricultural production, describing them as important contributors to institutional sustainability.
He nevertheless challenged the institution to invest more in student-led innovation to ensure graduates develop products and services capable of contributing directly to Zimbabwe’s economic growth.
Addressing the graduates, Dr. Shava urged them to embrace innovation, industrialisation and inclusivity as they begin their professional careers.
He encouraged them to use their knowledge to uplift communities, build industries rooted in local resources and ensure education benefits every learner, while warning against drug and substance abuse.
The graduation underscored Zimbabwe’s continued efforts to reposition higher and tertiary education as a driver of economic transformation through innovation, technical skills development and community-centred learning, with teacher training institutions increasingly expected to produce graduates who are not only educators but also innovators, entrepreneurs and agents of rural industrialisation.
