In an interview at a graduation ceremony at Hillside Teachers’ College in Bulawayo on Friday, Prof Dyanda said the provision of degree programmes was essential at the institutions.
Hillside Teachers’ College, Mutare Teachers’ College and Belvedere Teachers’ College in Harare are the only teachers’ colleges offering Bachelor of Education degrees in science and mathematics education through open distance and e-learning (odel) under the auspices of UZ.
Prof Dyanda said the university would provide professional guidance and supervision to the institutions.
“Teachers’ colleges should be motivated by a desire to raise their standards and quality to heighten their prestige, through offering degree programmes at their institutions.
“The university is committed to offering professional guidance and supervision to the institutions to ensure that they operate at university level,” said Prof Dyanda.
She said the degree programmes would go a long way in promoting change within schools and communities.
“These degree programmes will work towards improving quality in the education system and promote change within classrooms and their different communities,” said Prof Dyanda.
The principal of Hillside Teachers’ College, Mr Elkanah Dube, said the degree programmes at the college were going on well and had generated a lot of interest from prospective students, both in service and out of service.
“The degree programmes in Science and Mathematics are going on well and the first group wrote exams while a few graduated. We are in the process of enrolling the second group and I am glad that students have shown interest in the programmes.
“We are hoping that the degree programmes will attract more students as time goes on. Due to a shortage of Science and Mathematics teachers, we also accept students who did not proceed to Advanced Level, as long as they have passed Mathematics and Science at Ordinary Level,” said Mr Dube.
He commended the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education for introducing the degree programme at the college.
“We are grateful to the ministry for providing this platform. This shows that the country is keen on developing education in the country. As a college, we have what it takes to offer degree programmes,” he said.
However, Mr Dube bemoaned a lack of resources, saying there was a need for more ICT facilities to cater for the increasing number of students.
“The degree programmes are highly dependent on ICT and we need more equipment to cater for the students. It is important for the UZ to keep on augmenting the degree programmes as the country moves towards equipping the education sector with quality teachers,” said Mr Dube.