Education curriculum review begins

A TEAM of educationists has been dispatched to schools countrywide to monitor the implementation of the recently introduced primary and secondary school curriculum with a view to refine it.

The review, being led by teams drawn from teachers unions and education experts began last week and will look at a number of learning areas and language content in primary schools.

At secondary school level, focus will be put on compulsory subjects, timetabling and material resources.

The review is set to culminate in a report to be tabled in Cabinet next month.

There are concerns from parents and educators over some of the stringent demands brought by the curriculum since its introduction in 2016.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail last week Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima said the review began last December.

“(The review) is the same process that began last year. We have started dispatching teams for the curriculum review in schools and findings will be presented to Cabinet around mid- April,” he said.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president, Dr Takavafira Zhou applauded Government’s commitment to improve the education curriculum. “We are part of the teams that began the process this week,” He said.

“We will be looking at the whole curriculum. Some areas such compulsory subjects and timetabling in Secondary schools as well as the language content and number of learning areas in primary will be top of the agenda.

“On the issue of compulsory subjects at O’ level there has been an outcry on the seven compulsory subjects with some saying they fail to give a students a carrier path.

“The elective subjects need revisiting as well so that there is better synchronising with other subjects. Concerns have also been raised in the number of learning areas in primary schools especially for those in ECD.

“Some argue mass displays and physical education are almost similar thus the subjects can be taught interchangeably.”

In the new curriculum, Government had set the maximum subjects at to be studied O’ level at 10, with seven being compulsory subjects.

Agriculture, Physical education, Sport and Mass display, General Science, Mathematics, Indigenous languages, English language and heritage studies are the seven compulsory.

The elective subjects for science students include Computer science, Geography, Physics, Chemistry and biology, Additional Mathematics, Pure Mathematics and Statistics.

Humanity Students choose from History, Sociology, Economic history and Family and Religious Studies.

Commercial students choose from Business and Enterprise Skills, Commerce, Commercial Studies, Economics, Principles of Accounts.

Government had set learning areas for ECD at seven including Visual and Performing arts, Physical Education, Mass displays, language, Mathematics and Science, Social Studies, Information and Communication Technology.