Senators Want STEM Subjects Taught In Indigenous Languages

Senators have urged the government to reform Zimbabwe’s education system by introducing indigenous languages, such as Shona and Ndebele, as media for teaching science and mathematics.

Speaking in the Senate recently, Senator Kudakwashe Matibiri argued that teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects in local languages could help the country achieve upper-middle-income status. He said:

“Why should we continue to advocate for the use of foreign languages in teaching, particularly in STEM subjects, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics?

“For a country like Zimbabwe, the effective teaching and learning of STEM subjects are vital for our transformation, especially as we aspire to become an upper-middle-income society.

“We must adapt our educational approaches to achieve this goal, as STEM education serves as the engine room for developing the competencies and proficiencies necessary for our progress.”

Senator Priscah Mupfumira said the Senate should step up pressure on the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to implement the use of indigenous languages. She said:

“We need to really look into the issue of our curriculum because sometimes we just debate and nothing is implemented. Sometimes the responsible ministers would come after the debate.

“Ministers must come after the debates so that we can map a way forward and they can implement whatever would have been debated.

“In the near future, we might be facing the extinction of our languages like Shona.”

However, the proposal by Zimbabwean Senators to use indigenous languages for teaching scientific subjects could face challenges, given Nigeria’s recent reversal of a similar policy.

In 2022, Nigeria introduced a National Language Policy (NLP) requiring children from Early Childhood to Primary Six to be taught in their mother tongue or community language.

But in November 2025, the government abandoned the policy. Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced that English would once again be the language of instruction from pre‑primary through to tertiary education.

Reports indicated that students taught primarily in local languages struggled to transition to English-based assessments and had difficulties with basic English comprehension.

This, in turn, affected their performance in national exams and their readiness for secondary and tertiary education, where English remains the standard.

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