Institution Overview

Background

The college is part of the education work of the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (DRC) from 1981 onwards. At the time, anybody literate was encouraged to teach others how to read and write. So such literate converts were among the first ‘teachers ’within the R.CZ. As more primary schools were opened as outposts in the rural areas, the need for properly trained teachers was felt and so efforts were made to put a teacher-education programme which was short-lived and yet another attempt was made in 1905 – 1906. Both attempts were struggling affairs as they were confronted by manpower shortages.

The watershed or breakthrough was made when the Rev. H.W. Murry, a B.A. a man with a teachers’ qualification arrived and was put in charge of the teacher – training programme and put it on a sound footing until leadership passed onto others equally strong personalities. Beside the pupil/teacher programme, Morgenster Teachers College tortuously participated in all the subsequent programmes such as Elementary Teachers’ Certificate, Vernacular Certificate, Primary Teachers’ Lower Certificate and others. Today, it is only Morgenster that can boast of having participated in every teacher-education programme that has ever been mounted in Zimbabwe. 1970 was another crucial stage when the R.C.Z and other Missionary societies were made to surrender their primary schools to local councils. At that point, the church would have easily lost interest in further participation in teacher-education, but at its meeting in 1970, the Education Secretary, T.H. Barnard strongly recommended continued participation for he saw it as an opportunity to produce teachers who would exert Christian influence wherever they taught. The recommendation was accepted and so Morgenster continues with the work it started in 1902.