A programme aimed at widening access to tertiary education has enrolled 192 young Zimbabweans at six institutions offering opportunities to students who may otherwise have struggled to pursue further studies under the second phase of the FAWE-Mastercard Foundation programme.
The beneficiaries are studying at Harare Polytechnic, Gweru Polytechnic, Mutare Polytechnic, Bulawayo Polytechnic, Kwekwe Polytechnic and Belvedere Technical Teachers College.
Speaking during a joint monitoring visit to the programme in Harare on Wednesday, Secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Professor Fanuel Tagwira said the initiative was helping make tertiary education more accessible.
“To date, 192 young women and men have been enrolled across six institutions Harare Polytechnic, Gweru Polytechnic, Mutare Polytechnic, Bulawayo Polytechnic, Kwekwe Polytechnic and Belvedere Technical Teachers College,” Prof Tagwira said.
He said the programme was providing opportunities for young people who had faced barriers to conventional education.
“These 192 participants represent young Zimbabweans whose aspirations and potential have been given an opportunity to develop,” he said.
Prof Tagwira said enrolment alone was not enough and that students also needed academic support, mentorship, financial assistance and psychological support.
Such measures, he said, would help students remain in education, complete their studies and move into employment, entrepreneurship or further learning.
The government was also seeking to expand pathways into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), he said, as part of efforts to strengthen Zimbabwe’s human capital.
“Our ambition is to ensure that talented and capable young people who may not have followed the conventional route into STEM are provided with a structured opportunity to demonstrate their potential and progress into higher-level studies,” Prof Tagwira said.
FAWE Zimbabwe executive director Lydia Madyirapanze said the programme was being implemented in 10 African countries, including Zimbabwe and Zambia.
She said the monitoring visit was intended to assess progress since the programme was launched in Zimbabwe in 2024 and hear directly from beneficiaries.
“The joint monitoring visit is basically for FAWE, Mastercard Foundation, FAWE Zimbabwe, FAWE Zambia and FAWE Africa to get a fuller appreciation of the work that we have been doing in Zimbabwe since 2024 under the Phase II programme,” Madyirapanze said.
The delegation visited Harare Polytechnic on Wednesday and was expected to visit Belvedere Technical Teachers College as part of the monitoring exercise.
Madyirapanze said beneficiaries needed more than financial assistance, including social support, mentorship and orientation to help them navigate their studies.
Mastercard Foundation head of Girls’ Education Hajra Zahid said the visit would help the foundation better understand the programme’s work in Zimbabwe and hear from young people benefiting from it.
“We also wanted to develop a deeper understanding of FAWE’s work in the country and how we are achieving our shared mission to support young people,” she said.
Ms Zahid thanked the government, FAWE Zimbabwe and the FAWE Regional Secretariat for supporting the partnership.
