A locally designed mobile laboratory system has been distributed to 75 secondary schools across seven districts in Matabeleland North Province, addressing the longstanding challenge of science education in areas without reliable electricity or running water. The units, which incorporate gas tanks, solar panels, inverters, batteries, manual pumps, and water storage, were created by Bulawayo innovator Sicelo Dube and cost roughly 10 percent of traditional laboratory conversion expenses.
Hwange Colliery Company invested $90,000 to provide the equipment through a partnership with mining contractors operating in the region. Binga received 20 units, while Lupane, Tsholotsho, and Hwange each obtained 10, with smaller allocations going to Nkayi, Bubi, and Umguza districts.
Provincial Minister Richard Moyo emphasized that the initiative narrows the technological gap between urban and rural students, enabling comprehensive delivery of science curricula. The mobile laboratories received certification from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in 2022 and represent a collaboration between government and private sector entities to expand access to chemistry, physics, and biology instruction throughout remote communities.
Hwange Colliery Company invested $90,000 to provide the equipment through a partnership with mining contractors operating in the region. Binga received 20 units, while Lupane, Tsholotsho, and Hwange each obtained 10, with smaller allocations going to Nkayi, Bubi, and Umguza districts.
Provincial Minister Richard Moyo emphasized that the initiative narrows the technological gap between urban and rural students, enabling comprehensive delivery of science curricula. The mobile laboratories received certification from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in 2022 and represent a collaboration between government and private sector entities to expand access to chemistry, physics, and biology instruction throughout remote communities.
