Online Reporter
Fairness Moyana, [email protected]
GOVERNMENT is committed to accelerating infrastructure development at Hwange College of Education in Matabeleland North Province, to ensure the institution serves as a model of heritage-based innovation and inclusive education.
Hwange College of Education has since secured 19 hectares of land to build a state-of-the-art fully fledged campus that will house administration blocks, student hostels and other facilities.
Speaking during a tour of the college on Friday, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister, Dr Fredrick Shava, said the construction of facilities at the young institution was part of the key priority projects for 2026.
“It has been an absolute privilege to tour Hwange College of Education today and witness firsthand the remarkable progress being made at this institution. Established in 2019, this young college has already demonstrated tremendous growth and purpose in shaping the future of teacher education in our country,” he said.
Since opening its doors in 2019, Hwange College of Education has enrolled 1 216 trainee teachers — 222 male and 994 female students — with 412 already graduated and deployed across the country.
Amb Shava commended the institution for expanding access to quality, equitable and inclusive education, highlighting its enrolment of students with disabilities, investment in digital learning platforms and the use of interactive boards and e-resources.
“From enrolling students with disabilities to incorporating indigenous languages into the curriculum, this college is walking the talk on inclusivity. I am sure your plan to mainstream AI into the curricula is at an advanced stage,” he said.
The minister said the college’s thrust aligns with the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 philosophy, which seeks to move institutions beyond teaching and research to innovation and industrialisation.
“As guided by heritage-based Education 5.0, we need to produce graduates who leverage knowledge and innovative thinking to create employment and generate wealth,” said Dr Shava.
He linked the college’s trajectory to President Mnangagwa’s development philosophy of “leaving no one and no place behind”, saying institutions of higher learning must produce graduates who are academically sound, practically skilled and economically productive.
College Principal, Mr Royal Ntini, said the college had fulfilled a key Government mandate to produce teachers in ChiNambya and Tonga, languages that had long been marginalised.
“The establishment of our college has widened access to cater for indigenous languages that had hitherto been on the fringes. Our relentless effort towards quality over the years has enabled us to record a 100 percent pass rate in all our graduations since inception,” he said.
Mr Ntini said the college had aligned its strategic plan with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), focusing on innovation, skills development and rural industrialisation.
What impressed the minister most was the innovative spirit among students and staff, with projects already moving beyond theory into production.
“Hwange College is not just producing teachers; it is nurturing innovators and entrepreneurs,” Dr Shava said.
“The College’s involvement in community-based projects demonstrates that education can and must be a catalyst for sustainable development,” said Dr Shava.
He added that initiatives equipping farmers with strategies to manage human-wildlife conflict and revitalising traditional agricultural knowledge show how heritage and innovation can work hand in hand.
Minister Shava applauded the college’s staff welfare initiatives, which include provision of laptops, data allocation, wellness programmes and subsidised meals.
Mr Ntini said the college is engaging the Hwange Colliery and other stakeholders to address accommodation challenges and has plans to construct two staff houses.
He however, lamented the lack of vehicles, which he argued was affecting smooth operations. The college has only one vehicle, which it uses for all operations such as carrying out assessments of students on attachment — a development that has affected smooth operations.
“It is my hope that the planned construction of two staff houses will be followed by even more infrastructure development. I want to assure you that my ministry has set construction of Hwange College of Education as one of the 2026 prioritised projects,” said Amb Shava.
The minister also expressed anticipation for the commissioning of key projects, including a college vehicle, textile production line and catering initiatives, saying they would enhance self-sufficiency and stimulate the local economy.
For a college barely seven years old, the message from Government was clear — Hwange College of Education is no longer just expanding access to teacher training but positioning itself as a rural innovation hub central to Zimbabwe’s march toward an upper middle-income economy.
