Education, economic development

AS one of the cornerstones of social and economic transformation, the importance of education cannot be overemphasized.

This is especially true as Zimbabwe works towards achieving an empowered and prosperous upper-middle income economy by 2030.

After all, education transforms lives, empowers people and ensures inclusiveness and equality.

Sections 75 and 81 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe reiterate every child’s right to education.

That said, Government has been making sure that every child has access to education that is beneficial not only to the individual but the country at large.

Indeed, a child without education is like a bird without wings.

This is why parents and guardians are currently making frantic efforts to ensure that their children will be ready to hit the ground running when schools open next week.

Every single day on the school calendar matters because lots of learning time was lost as the Covid-19 pandemic took its toll.

Every day is an opportunity to learn something that will contribute towards building the Zimbabwe that we all want.

The entire education system has provided learners and students with this platform to acquire competitive primary, secondary and tertiary education.

It prepares learners to become socially and economically empowered citizens through provision of equitable, inclusive and quality education.

The country’s education system has also allowed learners to develop critical thinking and empowered them with the requisite skills to ensure the country’s sustainable development.

All this emanates from the huge investments and sustained efforts made by Government since 1980.

Since gaining Independence from the British colonial rule in 1980, the country has been studiously investing in the education sector.

As noted by the Education Secretary Report (1980-1987) quoted in the Nziramasanga Report (1999), in 1979 there were 2 401 primary schools enrolling 620 000 learners learning in segregated schools.

At secondary school level, there were 177 schools in 1979, with a learner population of 66 215.

Currently, there are a whopping 6 798 primary and 2 980 secondary schools catering for over 4,9 million pupils.

That is phenomenal growth by any standards. Higher education is also undergoing significant positive changes, with over 30 universities, technical and teacher training colleges ensuring that highly skilled graduates are churned out to build the country’s economy.

Over the years, our education system has remained sturdy owing to elaborate planning and meticulous implementation of sound policies.

To ensure that no one and no place is left behind in accessing quality and affordable education, Government has moved to introduce the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM).

Last year, Government used $2 billion in providing educational assistance to

1 163 738 underprivileged children. This year, about 1,5 million students are receiving support through a BEAM package that covers tuition fees, uniforms and stationery.

This has significantly contributed to pushing up the enrolment and completion rates among learners.

In making the curriculum more suitable for our circumstances, a phased introduction of the competence-based curriculum is also being implemented with the overall objective of improving the quality of our education.

Education 5.0 has been adopted so as to promote specialist skills for industry, commerce and the public sector; which is a departure from the colonial era’s Education 3.0 which seek to ensure that black people remained employees.

The adoption of Science subjects amongst students is also being encouraged to drive the country’s rapid industrialisation as envisaged by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development.

All these interventions are expected to increase industrialisation and economic growth in tandem with the country’s Vision 2030.