Zim reintroduces radio lessons
SCHOOL lessons will be broadcast on radio and television, as well as being published online to reach everyone over the next six months, Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education Mrs Thumisang Thabela said yesterday.
The return of school lessons to radio after a two-decade break was officially launched yesterday to ensure learners do not forget the content gained over the past two years, if their present inactivity was prolonged.
Speaking at the launch, Mrs Thabela said: “The ministry is preparing emergency learning modules to use for at least six months which includes radio, online and hopefully in the near future television lessons, this is why we approached the Information Ministry to find ways to ensure there is least damage to the children’s development.
“We understood that if we are not careful, children will retrogress to the point that if they return to classrooms, we will be starting from two years back.”
Three media companies, ZBC, Zimpapers and AB Communications provided facilities for recording the content.
Radio stations under the three companies will be carrying out the lessons.
Mrs Thabela said in the first phase, radio lessons would cover primary education.
Content for high school learners is now being produced.
Learning areas to be covered include mathematics, indigenous languages, English, science and technology, and heritage studies.
Mrs Thabela said rural learners and those who cannot access radio, TV and online lessons will get hard copy modules, which are being printed with support from partners.
Radio lessons were part of the local radio programming until 2001 when then Radio 4, now National FM, was repurposed to the present programming.
Mrs Thabela said the return of radio lessons will go beyond the Covid-19 period.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will be applying for a radio licence so that it can have a dedicated channel for learning.
Sprucing up of studios is in process. Speaking at the same occasion, Permanent Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Mr Nick Mangwana, said the radio lessons have created renewed agency to increase the platforms’ penetration.
“Radio is a great way of bringing lessons to our learners because even feature phones with unsophisticated technology can be used to access radio content,” he said.
“We are aware we are not covering the whole country yet, but we are working hard to ensure there is widened reach in radio frequencies.”
Mr Mangwana promised the country that radio lessons will now be a permanent fixture on the airwaves.
The move drew rare praise for Government from teachers’ unions.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) information officer, Ms Daisy Zambuko, applauded the ministry for the initiative.
The content was produced by volunteer teachers who availed themselves for recording during the Covid-19 lockdown.
One of the teachers under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, whose Grade Two English lesson was played on radio as the first lesson, Mrs Lindiwe
Nyoka, said she was honoured to have contributed to the country.
One of the key partners in the programme, Zimpapers, believe their wide radio network will help reach more learners.
Zimpapers Group public relations and corporate affairs manager Ms Beatrice Tonhodzayi said the company platforms will be carrying lessons in indigenous languages.
“As Zimpapers, through our radio division, we are working with Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to start radio lessons,” she said.
“We are mainly looking at Nyami Nyami and Diamond FM.
“We will be using indigenous local languages like Ndau, Tonga, Barwe, Chewa, among others. This comes at a time when learners are stuck at home due to the Covid19 pandemic. Radio has a wide reach to our communities, so this is an exciting initiative for us.”
Zimbabwe returns to the delivery of radio lessons which formed a strong part of broadcast programming in the formative years of the country.
CHALLENGES in purchasing electricity tokens have plunged most houses into darkness, a development that sparked outrage in most suburbs with consumers accusing the power utility of incompetence.
People are failing to purchase electricity tokens through mobile banking platforms, prompting them to flock to Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) banking halls for assistance during lockdown.
Long winding queues characterised the power utility’s premises as desperate consumers converged to buy tokens.
The public was not even observing social distancing to mitigate against the spread of Covid-19.
Electricity consumers have expressed concern over seemingly conflicting statements issued by ZETDC and some mobile banking platforms in explaining the ongoing systems challenge.
ZETDC is on record apologising to its customers for the challenge.
The power utility said the system was simply congested by customers who prefer buying electricity tokens on the first week of every month.
“The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) would like to apologise to its valued customers for the long turnaround periods in the processing of transactions in the purchase of electricity.
“ZETDC advises that delays being experienced by customers are due to high volumes of token purchases during the beginning of the month and are putting pressure on the system, the position that we are in the process of addressing,” reads the statement.
ZETDC said people were failing to appreciate that purchase of the first cheaper 200 units of power can be done any day of the month.
“ZETDC further advises customers that the lifeline tariff is enjoyed once a month when they make the first token purchase of units any day during any calendar month, therefore it is not true that electricity is cheaper when purchases are done within the first five days of the month,” reads the statement.
However, banks linked to the ZETDC electricity purchase system issued a statements informing clients that the system was down.
“The ZESA top up option on Mobile Moola is currently down.
“Our service provider is working on the issue. We will advise as soon as normal service has been restored,” reads a statement by FBC Bank.
Electricity consumers yesterday breathed fire, accusing ZETDC of not telling the truth.
Ms Mercy Tembani of Manyame Park in Chitungwiza said ZETDC was not being honest.
“I received a message from my bank informing me that the system used in purchasing electricity tokens was down but ZETDC told us that it was only congestion due to too many consumers buying tokens at the same time.
“It boggles the mind how this month had become too busy when we buy tokens every month,” she said.
Mr Tafataona Shumba of Chimanimani said:
“ZESA guys are not serious. We are now spending hours in long winding queues during this Covid-19 era where social distancing is not being maintained.
“That is risky and they cannot insult us saying we do not know that electricity can be paid any day of the month.
“That much we know, but most families’ budgets ensure electricity is used wisely until end of month. That is when we top up,” he said. Consumers queueing for electricity tokens in Bulawayo said they were forced to disregard physical distancing measures claiming that ZETDC officials were letting people jump queues during the chaotic scenes.
Electricity token vendors exploited desperate consumers by putting mark-ups of more than 30 percent per purchase.
Residents said it did not make sense that the utility could claim that its servers were overwhelmed, when they have been buying tokens with ease at the start of every month.
“What has changed now? We always buy power online but at the moment when you try to buy tokens via Ecocash, you will receive a message saying your transaction has been sent for processing but you do not get a recharge token. It’s my second day queuing for electricity as I no longer have power at home. I’m afraid that if I don’t get it today my refrigerated meat will go bad. Zesa should solve this problem,” said Mr John Mlilo, from Cowdray Park suburb, who was in a queue outside a banking hall at the corner of Fife Street and 10th Avenue. Another Bulawayo consumer Mr Nyasha Tawonizvi said he had been in the queue since 10am, but still had not bought tokens at 3pm.