Zimbabwe has exempted students specialising in minority indigenous languages from the mathematics prerequisite for enrolment into secondary teacher training, i...
Zimbabwe has exempted students specialising in minority indigenous languages from the mathematics prerequisite for enrolment into secondary teacher training, in a move aimed at increasing the number of teachers able to teach endangered local languages.
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Fredrick Shava said the special dispensation would take effect from the first semester of 2026.
Shava announced the policy while addressing graduates at the Hillside Teachers’ College graduation ceremony on Wednesday, where he said the exemption formed part of the government’s wider efforts to preserve and develop minority indigenous languages.
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The move comes as Hillside Teachers’ College introduces ChiNambya to its curriculum, increasing the number of indigenous languages taught at the institution to seven.
The college is popularly known as the “Rainbow College” because of its multilingual approach to teacher training. The introduction of ChiNambya adds another minority language to its existing indigenous language programmes.
Shava said the college’s work went beyond simply preserving languages, with students and lecturers actively developing materials that could support their continued use in education.
“Students and lecturers in indigenous languages are actively producing literature and pedagogical materials to sustain this work,” Shava said.
He said the college was reimagining heritage rather than simply preserving it, highlighting the role of teacher training institutions in ensuring that indigenous languages remain part of Zimbabwe’s education system.
The exemption from the mathematics requirement is specifically targeted at students specialising in minority indigenous languages. It is intended to remove an entry barrier for prospective teacher trainees who want to pursue these language specialisations.
The policy comes at a time when the government is seeking to strengthen the teaching and use of Zimbabwe’s indigenous languages. Increasing the number of trained teachers in minority languages could provide schools with more educators equipped to teach those subjects.
Hillside’s graduation figures also reflected the broader composition of its teacher-training programme. The college graduated 441 students this year, including 149 men and 292 women.
According to Shava, male enrolment at the college had reached 33.8%, which he described as progress towards reducing gender disparities in teacher training.
The minister also said 48.4% of the graduates qualified in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, highlighting the continued focus on producing teachers in areas considered important to the education sector.
Alongside its academic programmes, Hillside has expanded its Work for Fees Programme, which allows students to offset tuition costs by undertaking work on campus.
The programme currently supports 63 students, compared with 38 in 2024. This represents a 65.8% increase in the number of students benefiting from the initiative.
“The Work for Fees Programme now supports 63 students, up from 38 last year, a 65.8% increase that stands as a compassionate and practical response to the needs of our most vulnerable learners,” Shava said.
The programme provides an alternative way for students facing financial difficulties to contribute towards their tuition costs while remaining enrolled at the college.
Hillside also currently supports 21 students with disabilities, adding to the college’s efforts to provide opportunities for students with different needs.
The institution’s activities extend beyond teacher training. Shava highlighted several income-generating projects being operated by the college, including a garment production unit, a bakery and a government-funded madhumbe crisps factory.
The garment production unit supplies markets across the Southern African Development Community (SADC), giving the college an income-generating activity that extends beyond its immediate campus operations.
The bakery is another component of the college’s income-generating activities, while the madhumbe crisps factory has an additional educational purpose.
The government-funded crisps factory is intended to provide practical training opportunities for students studying agriculture and food science.
The facility therefore combines income generation with practical learning, allowing students in relevant programmes to gain experience linked to food production and processing.
The developments at Hillside reflect the college’s broader approach to combining teacher education, indigenous language development, student support and practical training.
The introduction of ChiNambya and the exemption of mathematics for students specialising in minority indigenous languages are particularly focused on strengthening the position of local languages within teacher education.
For the government, the policy provides a pathway for more students to train as teachers of minority languages without having to meet the mathematics prerequisite that previously applied to secondary teacher-training enrolment.
The first-semester 2026 implementation means the exemption is already part of the government’s teacher-training framework, while Hillside’s expanded indigenous language curriculum provides a platform for training educators in additional local languages.
The combination of language training, student support programmes and income-generating projects has positioned Hillside as an institution seeking to address both academic and practical needs among its students.
