Three local languages remain mandatory for teachers
THE policy requiring teachers to learn three local languages besides their mother tongue remains in effect, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Professor Amon Murwira, has said.
He was responding Senator Annah Shiri (representing people with disabilities) who had inquired about Government initiatives to incorporate minority languages like sign language into tertiary education in Senate.
Introduced in 2018, the policy aims to improve student competency in languages spoken in their deployment regions.
Prof Murwira confirmed the existing policy that mandates teachers to master three local languages beyond their native tongue upon graduation.
He highlighted the collaborative effort with Midlands State University (MSU) to translate the Zimbabwean Constitution into all official languages, demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity.
“Our aim is to have the expertise in all the languages. If you get there, you will have people speaking Chewa, isiNdebele, Shona et cetera. At the United College of Education in Bulawayo, you will also see that we have introduced the special language programmes, including Mutare Teachers’ College. We are appealing to the Senators and all the Parliamentarians to continue providing more financial support towards this direction. It is important that we leave a legacy of peace and treasures,” said Prof Murwira.
During the same sitting, Matabeleland North Senator Rebecca Fanuel raised concerns about deployment of non Tonga speaking teachers to Binga which she said resulted in poor pass rates, particularly in primary school.
According to the new Heritage-based Education 5.0, Early Childhood Development (ECD) learners must be taught in their mother language, with Government saying that position is binding.
“The President said there is no one who should be left behind, but I have realised that in our district, Binga, we are still lagging behind. Learners in primary schools are not doing well as teachers being employed in Binga cannot speak or write Tonga although we are grateful that a few have been employed. Why is the employment of teachers in Binga being only for people from other provinces who do not speak our local language? What is Government doing to employ teachers who are from Binga?” she said.
Prof Murwira clarified that while the Zimbabwean Constitution recognises 16 languages, a 2018 policy mandates student teachers to learn three local languages beyond their own. This initiative yielded the first “multi-dialect graduates” in 2021, graduating between 2018 and 2020.
“This policy of having teachers that can speak the language of the child is alive and we are implementing it to the extent that one of the issues that we have done in terms of teachers’ colleges is that in 2019, we started Hwange Teachers’ College where we recruited 150 students from Hwange who speak Nambya and some who speak Tonga,” said Prof Murwira.
Prof Murwira went beyond language, highlighting the establishment of an industrial college in Binga, a previously marginalised district. This development exemplifies the Government’s commitment to educational inclusivity, ensuring access for all regardless of location. An educated and productive citizenry is, after all, a national advantage.
“So, the policy there is very clear. In terms of the speed of movement, this is what we always need to improve every day because we cannot say we are 100 percent correct but the direction is correct and we will be moving in that direction and continue to move in that direction,” said Prof Murwira.