Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education in Zimbabwe: Research, Policy and Practice

Historical and current educational perspectives are epistemologically challenging to weave together. The contributors brought together in this book have risen to that challenge and, in the process, have produced a detailed and thorough account of the issues and processes at play.

Science, Mathematics, and Technology (SMT) education is recognised globally as a means of developing critically needed human capital. In Zimbabwe, SMT subjects constitute a significant component of the curriculum which, since political independence in 1980, has emphasised application-oriented, experientially-based teaching and learning. Efforts to mainstream this approach have resulted in several significant reforms to the country's education system. Relatedly, there are ongoing attempts to boost uptake in SMT subjects and, through them, to develop such professional skills as problem-solving, lifelong learning, teamwork, critical thinking, and the capacity to contribute and adapt to our rapidly changing world.

There is a self-evident need to document progress made in these efforts and, in the process, to carefully examine issues at play, challenges met, and solutions developed. This book, developed through a partnership involving Zimbabwean editors and authors, was developed to fulfil this need. It is long overdue.

Brantina Chirinda is a research associate at the Department of Science and Technology Education, University of Johannesburg (UJ) and a visiting research fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr Chirinda holds a PhD in Mathematics Education from the University of Witwatersrand.

Lwazi Sibanda holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Education and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, in the Faculty of Science and Technology Education at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Zimbabwe. She is currently the Executive Dean in the Faculty of Science and Technology Education.

Joseph Vere holds a BSc General (London) degree in Mathematics and Physics, as well as MA, EdM, and EdD degrees in Mathematics Education from Columbia University. He is recently retired after having worked in six different capacities in the education sector over a fifty-year period.

Gladys Sunzuma, PhD, is a lecturer in the Science and Mathematics Education Department at Bindura University of Science Education. Gladys has served for seven years as a high school mathematics, physical science, integrated science, and chemistry teacher in Zimbabwe, three years as a teaching assistant in the Education Department at Bindura University of Science Education, and eleven years in the current position as a lecturer at Bindura University of Science Education.