Belvedere Technical Teachers College graduated 914 students, with 97% trained in STEM disciplines, as Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Frederick Shava announced a new policy removing Mathematics as a compulsory entry requirement for Indigenous Minority Languages teacher specialisation while urging graduates to drive innovation and rural industrialisation.
Officiating at the college’s 39th Graduation and Prize Giving Ceremony in Harare, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Frederick Shava said the milestone reflected government’s commitment to producing technically competent, values-driven educators.
The ceremony ran under the theme: “Driving Innovation and Rural Industrialisation for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth.”
In line with Heritage-Based Education 5.0, Shava announced Circular No. 1 of 2026.
With effect from the First Semester of 2026, Mathematics will no longer be a compulsory prerequisite for entry into Indigenous Minority Languages teacher specialisation.
Shava reported that of the 914 graduands, 704 qualified as teachers and 210 as HEXCO graduates.
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Female students dominated with 701 graduates, accounting for 76.7% of the class.
He said 100% of HEXCO graduates and 96.2% of teacher graduates trained in STEM fields.
“This is a resounding endorsement of BTTC’s alignment with national priorities,” he said.
Shava highlighted government’s drive to widen access through scholarships and targeted programmes.
He pointed out that 28 STEM students, 26 of them female, are enrolled at BTTC under the MasterCard Foundation Scholarship.
Through FAWEZI, a further 207 marginalized STEM candidates from Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces have been enrolled nationally, with 80% female and 5-10% reserved for persons with disabilities and refugee youth. BTTC is one of six beneficiary institutions.
The BTTC has also enrolled 107 students under the Work-for-Fees programme and 82 students with varied disabilities. Efforts to procure assistive devices for them are underway.
“The government considers human capital development as a bedrock of national development. Our policies aim to leave no one and no place behind,” Shava said.
Aligning with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for tertiary institutions to be engines of rural industrialisation, Shava commended BTTC for adopting the Rukoba rural community in Banket, where 30 hectares of land were availed for a Technical High School.
He also applauded the college’s Integrated Skills Expansion Outreach Programme (ISEOP), which includes an A-Level complex at Goromonzi High School and a female hostel at Ridziwi High School in Mhangura.
He however urged the college to ensure ISEOP candidates undergo practical trade tests. Of 252 candidates, only 15 have acquired Class 2 and 3, while the rest await practicals.
Shava further praised BTTC’s income-generating projects in clothing, water purification and bottling, construction and agriculture, but challenged the college to do more to promote student-led innovations.
In line with Heritage-Based Education 5.0, Shava announced Circular No. 1 of 2026.
With effect from the First Semester of 2026, Mathematics will no longer be a compulsory prerequisite for entry into Indigenous Minority Languages teacher specialisation.
“Education 5.0 recognises our languages, traditions and indigenous knowledge as strategic resources for innovation and development,” he said.
Addressing the graduands, Shava gave three guiding principles, Innovation to uplift communities, Industrialisation rooted in local heritage and resources, and Inclusivity to ensure benefits reach every learner.
“The future of rural Zimbabwe will be transformed by innovative minds, skilled graduates and communities working together. The future of Zimbabwe depends on you. Go out and teach, create, innovate and industrialise,” he said.
He also cautioned graduates to stay healthy and avoid drugs and substance abuse.