Villagers urged to encourage children to enrol for STEM subjects Minister Abednico Ncube
Cde Abednico Ncube

Cde Abednico Ncube

Richard Muponde Gwanda Correspondent
VILLAGERS in Gwaranyemba, Gwanda, have been urged to encourage their children to enrol for STEM subjects for them to stand better chances of securing high paying jobs. The government has made the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) a priority. Pupils who enrol for Maths, Physics, Biology or Chemistry at A’ Level are eligible for full tuition and boarding fees payment by the government through the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education.

On Wednesday, the government had paid fees for 723 pupils countrywide, in the ongoing exercise. Speaking at the official opening of a classroom block at Garanyemba Secondary School, the Minister of Rural Development, Promotion, Preservation of National Culture and Heritage, Abednico Ncube, said people in Matabeleland were sceptical about sciences.

“Sciences are in demand now on the market. Job opportunities will increase for our people if they do science subjects. The problem we’ve in our schools is that we want our children to go to A’ Level and do Arts,” he said.

He said people should thank President Mugabe for spearheading STEM as it was going to improve their lives in the same way his thrust to build many schools in the country and Gwanda in particular, did, after Independence.

“There was no education in Garanyemba and surrounding areas. It was an area well known for brewing tototo and the chance to learn was not there. President Mugabe availed that chance to our children to get education. We now have 30 secondary schools in Gwanda, 16 of which are A-Level schools and the President is the one who initiated that,” he said.

Cde Ncube added: “He didn’t stop there but also gave our children scholarships to study in South Africa, China, Russia and Cuba. He tried his best and now we’ve some of the best doctors trained in Cuba.

“In the past blacks suffered because we were denied the right to education.” The minister said STEM would empower children from the area in the same way as they would be marketable graduates who would be able to create employment for others.

The classroom block was built by parents working with school authorities and the School Development Committee (SDC).

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