Chronicle Editor
Passmore Moyo, Correspondent
The Ndebele students and Ndebele lecturers at Hwange Teachers’ College appreciate the policy of President E. D. Mnangagwa which says ‘No place and no one must be left behind’ because the policy gave birth to the first teachers’ college in Matabeleland North. It is appreciated that the listening President of Zimbabwe, His Excellency President E. D. Mnangagwa and the Second Republic, listened to the cries of the people in the grassroots of Matabeleland North that the province had no teachers’ college.
Through the government’s Devolution policy, the State President, his party Zanu-PF and his government, positively led the nation in opening Hwange Teachers’ College which serves the interests of the people of Matabeleland North and the nation at large. Indigenous languages like Ndebele, Tonga and Nambya which were left behind are now taught at Hwange Teachers’ College. The President is loudly and silently preaching the gospel of unity and economic development among Zimbabweans and that is greatly appreciated. When President Mnangagwa campaigned for re-election as president in 2023, he told the nation that his party, Zanu-PF and the Second Republic wants to complete all the projects they started. Today, the province of Matabeleland North is witnessing the completion of one of the projects started by the Second Republic in 2019. The first students enrolled in the new college will be graduating on Wednesday, 8 November 2023 and that is a great achievement by the Second Republic.
I am pleased to be part of the lecturing staff members at Hwange Teachers’ College, a college opened as good fruits of Zimbabwe government’s devolution policy. Zimbabwe has been having no teachers’ college in Matabeleland North Province since independence. Aspiring teachers from Matabeleland North have been relying on Bulawayo Province, Matabeleland South and Midlands Province colleges for teacher-training courses. I am one of the teachers who was trained at Mkoba Teachers’ College in Midlands Province due to the unavailability of a college in Matabeleland North. The government of Zimbabwe, under the Second Republic, led by President E. D. Mnangagwa, decided to honour the devolution policy and considered to open a college in Matabeleland North. This is good news to true and peace-loving citizens of this country. As an IsiNdebele lecturer and talented published author, I feel that I have a duty to work closely with the government to implement the devolution policy and the Education 5.0 philosophy of the Education ministry. I start by clarifying that the two words ‘Ndebele’ and ‘IsiNdebele’ are different in meaning. The learning area is called IsiNdebele and Ndebele refers to a person who speaks IsiNdebele. Ndebeles speak and learn IsiNdebele.
I believe that the government leaders initiated the devolution policy but they are not the only ones who can implement the policy at grassroots. All the people of this country have a role to play in ascertaining that the devolution policy is a success. Local authorities and the general public need to support the government’s devolution policy one way or the other. Civil servants could support the policy by working hard to ascertain that the policy is a success. Those civil servants who are in positions of authority in their stations should not abuse their authority and should not abuse employees under their leadership to sabotage the good fruits of the devolution policy. It is obvious that there are some leaders in stations who are driven by opposition politics who will try to threaten employees who support the ruling party in order to sabotage progress. As Zanu-PF members at grassroots, we should ascertain that our members who are civil servants are not be abused by leaders who do not understand the devolution policy. Church leaders can support the devolution policy by praying for the nation and the government officials at all times. The President of Zimbabwe and his cabinet need prayers from every citizen so that they may be spiritually guided to lead in all developmental programmes in the country. The police and other armed forces need to support the government by ascertaining that there is security for everyone in the country. The public needs to work hard to improve the state of the nation.
The government has become exemplary in implementing the devolution policy by opening Hwange Teachers College. Local authorities, communities and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) need to emulate the government’s good move by providing funds to improve the state of Hwange Teachers’ College. The college needs to construct infrastructure for students and lecturers. The college needs lecture rooms, student hostels, vehicles, library material, Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities, sports facilities and agricultural facilities, among other equipment. It would be pleasing if all the people of Zimbabwe could join hands in improving the face and state of Hwange Teachers’ College. It could be pleasing if all Zimbabweans could set aside their social, spiritual and political differences and join the government in developing national projects such as the construction of Hwange Teachers’ College. The college also needs to employ workers such as grounds people who will clean the college so that students spend much of their time learning. All that may be possible if donors donate money for that purpose. I therefore encourage every Zimbabwean citizen to support President E. D. Mnangagwa and his government in various ways possible so that Zimbabwe may prosper further.
The writer, Passmore Moyo (The Son of the Soil) is a Ndebele lecturer at Hwange Teachers’ College. He can be contacted on Cell 0773679438/ Email: [email protected]
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