Online Reporter
Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
At least 347 graduands were capped at Bondolfi Teachers College today as the Government integrates commercial agriculture and advanced technology into teacher training to anchor its rural industrialisation agenda.
The cohort comprised 120 General Course and 227 Early Childhood Development students, the latest to exit under Zimbabwe’s Heritage-Based Education 5.0 model that recasts tertiary institutions as innovation and production hubs.
Of the total 347 certified educators, 315 were female, while a mere 32 were male. Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Simelisizwe Sibanda, said Bondolfi’s rural location was a strategic asset under the Integrated Skills Outreach Expansion Programme.
The programme partners colleges with local industries and expands community outreach to stimulate rural economies.
“Bondolfi’s rural setting is not a limitation, it is an asset. The college is broadening access through blended learning, including Moodle-based e-learning and hybrid programmes, while Government-funded assistive devices will ensure students with disabilities are fully included,” he said.
He also revealed that his ministry was pressing the Treasury to release development grants ring-fenced for church-run colleges.
“The ministry has formally engaged Treasury for the release of the development grant to church-run colleges,” he said.
“We recognise the immense contribution faith-based institutions have made to teacher education, particularly in under-served rural areas, and it is right that our Government fulfils its obligation to support their development. We shall continue to engage Treasury to prioritise these disbursements without much delay.”
Bondolfi has expanded agro-enterprises, including dairy, cattle, poultry and piggery units.
The deputy minister cited the projects as a model for institutional self-sufficiency and urged other colleges to diversify income to reduce reliance on state subsidies.
Principal Dr Esnati Macharaga said the college had fused heritage with 21st-century trends through Moodle-based e-learning and government-funded assistive devices for students with disabilities.
“As a college, we recognise that teachers are not merely transmitters of knowledge but architects of society,” he said.
“In the 21st century, educators must be innovative, technologically competent, adaptable, and grounded in the values of our heritage.
“They are expected to prepare learners not only for examinations but for life, productivity, and national industrial development.”
