Matabeleland North is struggling to retain Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers, while many secondary schools lack adequate laboratory facilities, challenges the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education says are affecting the quality of science education.
Speaking at a policy dialogue on strengthening education safety nets through transparency and accountability in Bulawayo on Thursday, Matabeleland North Acting Provincial Education Director Sizalobuhle Siziba said many specialist science teachers leave the province after only a few years of service.
She said the shortages come as Zimbabwe rolls out the Heritage-Based Curriculum, which places greater emphasis on practical learning and STEM education.
“We have implemented the Heritage-Based Curriculum in all our schools. We have about 870 schools in the province, including 625 primary schools and around 235 secondary schools, comprising government, local authority, church, private and independent schools,” Siziba said.
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Despite the curriculum reforms, she said inadequate science infrastructure remains a major obstacle.
“For us to effectively teach STEM, we need science laboratories in all our secondary schools. According to the minimum functionality standards, an ordinary secondary school should have two or three science laboratories, but in most cases we only have one,” she said.
Siziba said Advanced Level schools should have fully equipped science laboratory complexes with separate Physics, Chemistry and Biology laboratories, but only a few schools in the province meet those standards.
“There are very few schools that have got that, and these schools are Tsholotsho High, John Tallach and Marist. You can see the type of schools I am mentioning, yet our own rural schools are still struggling,” she said.
She cited Binga High School as an example of a school that has been unable to complete its science laboratory complex because of funding constraints.
“We are still struggling to complete the laboratory complex for the sixth form. We are relying on the Government fiscus to get money to finish it,” Siziba said.
To help bridge the infrastructure gap, the ministry has turned to development partners and the private sector.
Siziba said World Vision had constructed a science laboratory that is already operational and is expected to be officially commissioned this year.
“We have our donors and partners that we work with. They have come in and tried to assist us to build science laboratories. This year we are looking forward to commissioning a science laboratory that was constructed by World Vision. It is already in operation. Through partnerships we are getting assistance to improve our infrastructure,” she said.
She said digital infrastructure has also become increasingly important under the Heritage-Based Curriculum.
“We are now in the era of digital literacy and we need digital infrastructure. We are still struggling in that area,” she said.
Siziba, however, acknowledged government efforts to improve access to electricity in rural schools through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), with development partners complementing those initiatives by installing solar power systems.
“Most of our schools are now solarised, and we are grateful to the Government for electrifying many of our schools,” she said.
She also commended Hwange Colliery Company Limited for donating 75 mobile science laboratories to disadvantaged schools across the province last year.
“The mobile laboratories were distributed to 75 marginalised schools to help expedite the teaching of science in disadvantaged communities,” she said.
Despite these interventions, Siziba said retaining qualified STEM teachers remains one of the province’s biggest challenges.
“The teaching of science requires specialist teachers. The challenge we have in Matabeleland North is that we recruit them, but after gaining two or three years of experience they transfer to Bulawayo, metropolitan provinces or return to their home provinces,” she said.
“This high staff turnover, particularly in specialist subjects, affects our learners and ultimately their academic performance.”
As a long-term solution, the province is encouraging more local learners to pursue science qualifications before returning to teach in their communities.
“We are trying to ensure that our own children excel in science, proceed to teachers’ colleges and universities, and then come back to teach in their communities. That can help us address the challenge,” Siziba said.
Zimbabwe adopted the Heritage-Based Curriculum following a review of the Competence-Based Curriculum. The curriculum places greater emphasis on practical skills, innovation, values and knowledge rooted in local communities and cultural heritage.
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