The ManicaPost
Raymond Damba
It is graduation time again! Our “jewel” students witness the fruition of years of hard work by receiving their well-deserved diplomas in education. The “Jewel College” family rejoices with them on the occasion of their graduation on this day, August 30th 2019.
This year’s graduation theme,Blending Technology and Design with Classroom Practice to Redefine Teacher Education, could not have been more appropriate. It resonates with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development (MHSTD)’s thrust for tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe to invest in a heritage based education underpinned by the Education 5.0 philosophy. To this end MTC has blended its curriculum with technology and design in order to transform teacher education by equipping our products with the practical skills needed to deliver innovation and industrialisation in Zimbabwe. The model of Education 5.0 is a growth strategy for the realisation of Vision 2030 in Zimbabwe. In an age in which societal values have become diverse and complex, thanks to the new technology, MTC is convinced that a robust teacher education system will be one of the major driving forces towards the attainment of a prosperous Zimbabwe by the year 2030.
As our country faces immense challenges in its development trajectory, post 2017, we must strive to optimally leverage ICT in teacher education for the betterment of our society.
A sustainable and healthy economic growth trajectory in our country can only be achieved through technology and design to produce goods and services. We despair of overcoming our economic challenges and one surest way of doing so is the adoption of Education 5.0in our tertiary institutions.
EDUCATION 5.0: TOWARDS A PROSPEROUS ZIMBABWE BY THE YEAR 2030
Education 5.0 is a concept enunciated by MHSTD thanks to the untiring work of Honourable Minister, Professor Dr Amon Murwira.
It seeks to transform the education system in Zimbabwe into an effective tool for the promotion of industrialisation. The concept envisions the resolution of our societal challenges by incorporating into our education system the innovations of the digital age of our time. As an appendage of the Tertiary Education Programmes (TEP) in the MHSTD, it is our considered view, at MTC, that Education 5.0 will foster a more inclusive society in which all citizens can lead a fulfilling life and demonstrate their potentials to the full.
To this end, our Principal, Mr A. Mutubuki, created the Innovation Committee with the sole purpose of superintending over the creation of new value in line with Education 5.0. The hallmark of this concept is teaching, research, community engagement, innovation and industrialisation. The Committee has since toured innovation hubs at leading tertiary institutions like AU, CUT, NUST, MSU and HIT with a view to setting up our own.
Presently, our Mauyu drink which we showcased at ZITF and SIRDC Fair, is receiving rave reviews. The madhumbe juice, to encapsulate the Manyika culinary heritage, and other mouthwatering dishes, like the madora balls, were also showcased at ZITF 2019.
Also worth highlighting were the excellent recyclable materials from waste products and improvised dye stuff and mordant which were attractively branded. If these displays from our jewel students were not captivating enough, undoubtedly, the author guides and text book manuscripts displayed by our jewel staff members were awe inspiring at ZITF. Messrs. Jabangwe, Matore, Mtisi, Manyeruke, Mafara and Mrs. Chadambuka displayed these from their publishers. Our Minister, Honourable Professor Amon Murwira, expressed his appreciation for such a practical manifestation of education 5.0.
ACCOLADES
The college was presented with the 2018 Innotec Public Sector Finance Management Award of Excellence in Accounting, Auditing and Financial Reporting in Higher and Tertiary Education. It was also overall winner, fourth category, Higher and Tertiary Education, in Revenue Collection, Credit Control and Risk Management. MTC was also honoured with the 2ND Runner Up accolade of Resilient Exporter of the Year at the prestigious Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) Manicaland Business Awards held on 14 June 2019 at the Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare.
The ZNCC Manicaland Business Awards are held annually as a way of recognising, developing, and promoting, professional business acumen at all business levels and in different sectors.
These accolades lend credence, not only to MTC’s financial prudence but also to its ability to fulfil its institutional mandate to its optimum with minimum risks. This puts the college at the cutting edge of teacher education in Zimbabwe as epitomised by its proud “Jewel of Excellence” label.
PROJECTS
We are delighted that these accolades will spearhead larger development breakthroughs at MTC, the “college of choice” in teacher education. We hope to maintain our fast- growth trajectory through concrete deliverables that speak to the demands of heritage based education and the nation’s development agenda in the Second Republic. Our “quick wins” are a clear testimony of this resolve.
We have prioritised the refurbishment of hostel accommodation for our students and the erection of a perimeter wall. In the long term, we wish to build a two or three storey hostel for staff accommodation and install a solar system for pumping and heating water.
We have also empowered our staff and students, academically, by subscribing to the full range of e-journals on the ZILCH platform and are working flat out to have internet connection in all our hostels.
Above: The College has begun a thriving beef cattle farming project at its Nyazura farm. The poultry and piggery projects are also among the college flagship projects in line with Education 5.0
We remain undaunted in our quest to maintain our “jewel of excellence” stripes. To this end, we will exploit the build, operate and transfer (BOT) initiatives and joint ventures with the corporate sector. We are happy that colleges were engaged at the Infrastructure Conference so, thanks to our financial prudence, we hope to meet our infrastructure needs in the shortest possible time.
Our flagship income generating projects namely, piggery, poultry, and beef cattle farming have grown in leaps and bounds. As we speak, there is a hive of activity at our newly acquired 30 hectare farm in Nyazura. We are putting up structures at the farm that will enable us to go into agriculture full swing. Our aim is to be entirely self-sufficient with respect to food provisions in the foreseeable future.
OUR BACKGROUND AND PROGRAMMES
Mutare Teachers’ College, known by the acronym MTC, is located in the charming and lively city of Mutare which is also Zimbabwe’s third largest city and nearest gateway to the sea.
MTC is a government institution which opened its doors in 1956 as Umtali Teachers’ Training School. It became an associate of the University of Zimbabwe in 1979. Currently, the college offers Two Teacher Training Programmesas follows;
A Two Year Post ‘‘A’’ level pre-service Diploma in Education Programme which follows a 2-2-2 training model — that is, first two terms in College, the next two terms out in the schools on attachment teaching practice and the final last two terms in college and,
A Three Year post “O” level pre-service Diploma in Education Programme which follows a 3–3-3 training model — that is first three terms in College, the next three terms out in the schools on teaching practice attachment and the last three terms in college.
In addition, the college is a satellite centre for the University of Zimbabwe Open Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) pre-service — post “A” level and in-service post diploma Bachelor of Education degree Programmes in Mathematics, Sciences and Computers. The pre-service post “A” level ODeL programme runs for three years. The post Diploma in-service ODeL Programme runs for two and a half years.
MTC is a remarkable institution that is internationally famed for its excellence in research, Inclusive Education, Education for Sustainable Development and commitment to a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) driven curriculum. It is for this reason that the college has earned its eminence as the “Jewel of Excellence”.
