Guruve school scoops $100 000 STEM prize Prof Moyo
Prof Moyo

Prof Moyo

Bulawayo Bureau
St Francis and St Clare High School in Guruve, Mashonaland Central Province, scooped the $100 000 prize money, while Mavhudzi High school from Manicaland won the inaugural STEMITISED bus worth $80 000.

During a colourful STEM draw organised by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development last Thursday night, 10 pupils from 10 schools drawn from the country’s 10 provinces also won a trip to the Silicon Valley in the United States.

100 other pupils won laptops and another 100 won iPads.

Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo said there would be another ceremony when both the bus and prize money would be presented to the winning schools.

Prof Moyo said the money won by St Francis and St Clare High School should be channelled towards STEM programmes at the school.

He said the first group of STEMITISED students are expected to start contributing to the country in 2026.

He shot back at people who said there were STEM graduates roaming the streets, emphasising that the country’s universities have high standards to maintain therefore those with inferior points at A-Level do not qualify for STEM.

“Those who say there are a lot of STEM graduates roaming the streets, it’s not true, there are students with pure sciences and students with all sorts of other degrees who will need to be STEMITISED to be relevant to the country’s industrialisation thrust.

“Those who think there are a lot of students with six points or two points well we don’t take them, because we have very high standards. We want 15 points and we know we produce them and when we produce them with requisite pure science qualifications they will be targeted for recruitment by foreign universities,” said Prof Moyo.

The guest of honour at the draw, Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko said the STEM initiative being championed by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education is critical in transforming the country from a resource based-economy to high tech knowledge driven economy.

Below are the 10 pupils who won trips to the US.

Silicon valley trip winners

1. Tapfumanei Admire (Zimuto High School, Masvingo)

2. Makusha Kudakwashe (Marist Brothers, Matabeleland North)

3. Tsikayi Nigel (St Francis of Assisi High, Mashonaland East

4. Mavhunga Cosmas (Chipindura High, Mashonaland Central)

5. Ndlovu Bongani (Luveve High, Bulawayo)

6. Musinganeti Tinashe (Kuwadzana High, Harare)

7. Maphosa Ngonidzashe (Anderson Adventist High, Midlands)

8. Vundla Faith (Mtshabezi High, Matabeleland South)

9. Makotsi Lesley (Chinhoyi High, Mashonaland West

10 Mupikata Godknows (Elise Gledhill High, Manicaland)

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