adminBulawayo Bureau
THE Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic in Gwanda in Matabeleland South province has established an Early Childhood Development Centre, while plans are underway for the setting up of a secondary school in line with the Education 5.0 model.
In a statement, JM Polytechnic principal Dr Ngoni Moyo said the institution is working towards having a fully-fledged curriculum that is Education 5.0 compliant.
“Consistent with the Second Republic’s thrust to build more schools and, in particular, in line with our parent Ministry’s policy directive for colleges to establish practising schools, the polytechnic has established an Early Childhood Development Centre,” she said.
The centre, which is registered as ‘Little Big Josh ECD Centre’, opened its doors in May this year. The centre is located at the polytechnic’s old site campus.
Dr Moyo said they are in the process of refurbishing, expanding and equipping the centre.
“The institution is in the process of establishing a secondary school with a bias towards science subjects. The provincial office of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has since cleared the institution to go ahead with its plans to establish and construct the school,” she said.
“The institution is awaiting written authorisation from the head office of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. With these developments, we anticipate that beginning January 2024, Mqabuko Secondary School, as the school shall be called, will open doors to the first group of learners.”
Dr Moyo said in line with the Heritage–based Education 5.0 the polytechnic is actively engaged in the curriculum transformation process in both teacher and technical education under the auspices of the University of Zimbabwe’s Centre for Teacher Education and Materials Development (CTEMD) and the Higher Education Examinations Council (HEXCO).
“We have also embarked on a number of projects and programmes anchored on innovation and industrialisation in keeping with its mandate to produce the relevant human capital for the development and modernisation of our country, leading to a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society by 2030,” she said.
The Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic registered a company, Big Josh Poly Private Limited.
Under this holding company, there are five subsidiary companies, namely, The Clothing Company, The Printing and Branding Company, The Construction Company, the Catering and Confectionery Services Company and The Hatchery Company.
The institution has successfully managed to implement graduate-led business consortia led by students.
Three consortia working under the mentorship of the polytechnic have commenced small-scale production and one of them is a fence-making consortium that produces diamond mesh fence.
Dr Moyo said students who are studying electrical power engineering have organised themselves into consortia. The Innovative Technical Project specialises in house wiring and solar installation while Marsh Refrigeration Services specialises in refrigeration services.
Students from the province have also benefited from the institution’s short course programme.
“Under our traditional short courses programme, during the period under review, a total of 273 youths have undergone skills training in motor mechanics, welding, fence-making, bakery, uniform-making, vegetable production, goat keeping, basic automobile electrics and electronics, brick and block-laying, painting, electrical house-wiring and solar installation as well as rabbit keeping,” said Dr Moyo.
“The polytechnic is following up on the graduates from the various training programmes to assist them to start their own businesses and to facilitate trade testing for those in the designated trades.”
Youths from the province are set to benefit from the institution’s Integrated Skills Expansion Outreach Programme (ISEOP).
In Gwanda Urban, 57 youths have been registered to undergo skills training in carpentry and joinery, brick and block laying and welding.
In Beitbridge District, over 200 youths have been mobilised for skills training in cookery, car maintenance, brick and block laying, painting, refrigeration and air-conditioning, customer care, welding, goat keeping, basic auto-electrics, interior décor, hairdressing, vehicle servicing, food and beverage services and basic computers.
In Matobo District over 100 youths are set to be trained in fence-making, brick and block laying and horticulture, carpentry and joinery, poultry and goat keeping; welding and fashion and design.
“In line with the quest to develop a teacher who is multi-skilled and empowered to contribute towards the attainment of Vision 2030, the polytechnic has introduced a programme which makes it mandatory for every Diploma in Education student to be trained in at least one technical and vocational skill of the student’s choice, in addition to the mainstream curriculum,” said Dr Moyo.
“So far students have been trained in electrical house-wiring and solar installation, bakery and confectionery, goat keeping, detergent making, cosmetology, hairdressing, beading, interior decor, garment construction, brick and block laying, graphic design and printing, desktop publishing, basic auto-electrics, vegetable production and catering services.”
Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic has a staff complement of 247 members. There are 108 lecturers in the Division of Teacher Education, 56 in the Division of Technical Education and 81 support staff.
The Division of Teacher Education has, over the years, diversified the programmes under its purview with the introduction of the Early-Childhood Development Programme in 2005 and the Secondary Science Programme in 2019.
A total of 16 562 graduates have been churned out by the Division of Teacher Education since the inception of the institution in 1981. The Division of Technical Education was inaugurated in 2004.
Online Reporter