The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is set to introduce technical high schools and science academies next year.
Education Minister Paul Mavima said that initially there will be one school in each of the country’s 10 provinces.
A list has been drawn up of schools that will be targeted, and these are schools that already have suitable infrastructure for technical and science learning. Said Mavima:
As a ministry, we decided to come up with these schools of excellence that favours the competence of learners in their respective areas of choice with the targeted subjects of learning being technical and science ones.
The least number of schools we are targeting to start with countrywide is 10 that is one per each province. So far a tentative list has been done and will be shortlisting them soon.
Our target schools are existing ones that already have a suitable infrastructure for technical and science learning.
These we are going to quickly resource them to facilitate the start of this project.
In terms of funding, we are getting a large chunk from the fiscus, but education being everyone’s business parents can also chip in, but entirely the project is a Government thing with no outside source of funding.
Minister Mavima also revealed that the technical high schools and science academies certificates will be awarded by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC). The certificates will be on par with an Advanced Level certificate, with holders privileged to enrol at university.