Zimbabwe wants to teach maths & physics in Shona and Ndebele

Zimbabwe's Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. Torerai Moyo, has revealed plans to introduce the teaching of technical subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Geography and Accounting in vernacular languages like Shona, Ndebele, Kalanga, and others - a proposal that has already ignited debate in Parliament and across social media platforms.

Speaking during a Senate session on 18 July 2025, Minister Moyo said the initiative is aimed at improving comprehension and pass rates, particularly in science and technical subjects where many learners struggle due to the language barrier posed by English.

"So, if we can get such a recommendation from the Senate and National Assembly, recommending Mathematics be taught in Shona, Physics be taught in Kalanga or vernacular, that will help them pass," Moyo said. "The reason why sometimes they do not pass at 100% is that they are taught those subjects in English. Maybe they may not be able to understand those languages."

He drew parallels with countries like China, where he said students excel academically because they are taught in their native languages from early childhood development through to university.

The proposal arose in response to a question from Hon. Sen. Chief Nechombo, who inquired about Government policy on using local languages to teach technical subjects like Science, Geography and Accounting. Minister Moyo confirmed there is currently no official policy, but documentation is being prepared for Cabinet consideration.

"At the moment, we do not have such a programme but we are working on documentation to submit to Cabinet. For such a programme to be put in place, it is supposed to be a directive from the Cabinet," he said.

Moyo urged Senators to push for the idea to be formalised through legislation:
"My request is, may Senators put such request and recommendations. It will be made as a recommendation for a Bill so that it goes all the way to the President to sign."

He explained that the proposal aligns with Zimbabwe's heritage-based curriculum, which promotes indigenous knowledge systems and ubuntu/unhu values. He also highlighted that under the Zimbabwe Early Learning Policy (ZELP), children from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to Grade Two are already being taught in their mother tongues.

"It is mandatory for students in the infant school to be taught in their mother language," he said.

However, Hon. Sen. Mlotshwa raised concerns over the marginalisation of minority languages such as isiKhalanga, isiXhosa, and isiSotho in early education.

"In my area, we only have Ndebele as the medium of communication. The smaller groups are saying they also want their children in the lower grades to be taught in their mother languages," she said.

In response, Minister Moyo acknowledged existing gaps but pointed to ongoing efforts to train teachers in minority languages.

"We have identified 16 officially recognised languages in Zimbabwe. If you go to Binga, students in their infant school are taught in Tonga… We have a teacher's college in Hwange to train Tonga teachers," he said. He encouraged Parliamentarians to help identify remaining gaps to ensure inclusivity.

The announcement sparked a wave of reactions on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Some users applauded the vision, while others questioned its practicality.