Story by Abigirl Tembo

IRAN has pledged its support for Zimbabwe’s Heritage-Based Education 5.0 Model through availing 1 000 scholarships in the field of engineering.

The initiative seeks to build an innovation and knowledge-based economy, addressing the need for practical skills and innovation in today’s rapidly changing world.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Professor Fanuel Tagwira revealed Iran’s support of Zimbabwe’s education model on the sidelines of the Iran Africa Economic Conference in Tehran.

“As a ministry, we believe in action. We believe in implementation. We have learnt a lot since clearly there are a number of things that have happened and I will list a few of them. Number one the partnership we now have with the Islamic Republic of Iran is they’ve offered us 1 000 scholarships. Already, we sat down and went through one of their training centres and saw what they are providing and as we go. We are going home to mobilise so that we can send the first batch of our teachers who are in the polytechnics and industrial colleges to come here and acquire skills for period of six months. We will send a batch of 12 people to make a full class so that they can go back they become the trainers,” he said.

The scholarships will benefit lecturers in polytechnics and vocational training schools in fields which include electronics, construction, automotive engineering, carpentry and textile designing.

This year, Zimbabwe has also introduced the Heritage-Based Curriculum Framework at primary and secondary levels, set to run until December 2030, aligning with the national vision of achieving an upper-middle society by 2030.