adminHIGHER and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has challenged the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) to pursue its mandate of being a science and technology institution, reiterating that the future of the education sector in the country hinges on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Addressing Nust teaching and non-teaching staff members during a familiarisation meeting at the insititution yesterday, Prof Moyo said enrolment at the institution should show its area of specialty which is, science and technology.
“The National University of Science and Technology was set up in 1991 as a science and technology institution. One would have thought by now that tradition has been well established and speaks for itself. Manifestly so, that you don’t look for it; that it is even supported by numbers. But when you look at the number the Vice-Chancellor shared with us, if you look at the 2015 enrolment you have 8 555 students and out of that 49 percent are sciences and engineering, 42 percent commerce and nine percent is social sciences. Commerce and social sciences constitute 51 percent.
“This is a serious talking position point given Nust’s history, its founding mandate not withstanding its challenges and this is not a matter whose implementation we should continue to suspend. It is no longer desirable and no longer in the national interest. We really need to go for the mandate not only today but when we come for graduation. There should be no issue that makes it impossible to happen. It should happen. If there are issues that make it difficult, we have to talk.”
The Minister said higher tertiary education will only be for those with “STEM”, a call, he said, was also supported by President Mugabe.
“Everyone is now talking about STEM. Everyone now is talking about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as the necessary foundation for all education especially higher and tertiary education. No STEM no education,” said Prof Moyo.
“You can claim that you are literate because you can spell your name, you get a Grade Seven certificate for that. You cannot claim that you are educated because you have been taught to memorise other people who wrote some things centuries ago. That can’t be education. You can only be educated when equipped with fundamental skills that make you useful in society. You cannot be useful in society when you don’t have STEM skills. You can’t even be useful to yourself. That is why his Excellency has been talking about STEM. Nust is supposed to be a STEM centre of excellence.”
The Minister was also dismayed by revelations that 78 percent of lecturers at NUST do not hold PhDs. The Zimbabwe Council of Higher Education (ZIMCHE) has set a minimum qualification for a university lecturer by 2017, at PhD level. Prof Moyo said lecturers should not be “mischievous” on the issue of their PhDs as the matter was long discussed and they were aware of it.
Nust has an approved teaching staff establishment of 665 and 433 posts are filled. The official number of lecturers with PhDs is 61 out of the 433.
“That is a high number from a science and technology institution. It is very difficult to understand why a science and technology institution is not hiring PhD holders,” said Prof Moyo, adding: “It is very high and in light with ZIMCHE objective which the Vice-Chancellor knows is a matter they have been discussing that we would like to see our universities by 2017 reaching the initial target. This doesn’t mean that people should start their PhD now.
“This thing people have been talking about for a quite some time. Most of the universities have told ZIMCHE that their lecturers with Masters Degrees have enrolled in PhD programmes. This is going back to three, four years. We don’t want people to be mischievous and give the impression that we are just starting to talk about this today and we don’t know how long it takes to do a PhD programme. We do. People are supposed to be finishing. But, if your number is 365, one is not sure and we didn’t hear many saying that they are PhD candidates.
“To us this is a talking point. The figures also show that 197 lecturers are having Masters Degrees but surprising it (document with statistics) also lists 48 as holding bachelor’s degrees out of the 433. That is surprising because either these are teaching assistants of which they should not be part of 48, because they are part time lecturers.”
Bongani Ndlovu