Churches push for curriculum review

Trust Freddy 

Herald Correspondent 

As the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education continues with its national curriculum review consultation, there are loud calls from the religious leaders and key stakeholders for immediate consideration of the demands of the fourth industrial revolution and disconnecting the curriculum from the colonial mindset.

This came out last Friday during a curriculum review exercise held at the United Methodist Church Revelation College in Marlborough that was attended by religious leaders from the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (MCZ), Roman Catholic, AFM of Zimbabwe and the Anglican Church, among others.

The issue of scrapping Continuous Assessment Learning Activities (CALA), incorporating corruption and drug abuse into the curriculum were once again under spotlight when the Ministry last Friday invited church leaders to share their opinions on the current curriculum.

Some participants suggested that Guidance and Counselling be included as a subject for examination in order to strengthen the social fabric of the society, arguing that the emphasis should shift from teaching children hard skills only to teaching them soft skills that will prepare them for a hypercompetitive world.

Reverend Daniel Muzenda of MCZ said there was  need to abolish the colonial education system for the country to realise its full potential.

“They say five O’Level passes, including Maths and English yet on our curriculum we are emphasising competency, but it seems we are still within the colonial system education where if you want to do law you must have 15 points.

“Parents are sending their children outside the country, they go to India and study law with 8 points, why is it that our system continues to oppress us?” he said.

Rev Muzenda further argued that policy realignment was necessary and that it would not make sense to talk of competence based curriculum at lower levels when practical subjects such as Woodwork and Building are not accepted as O’Level passes at higher institutions. 

AFM of Zimbabwe Pastor Daniel Hamandishe also bemoaned how foreigners are influencing local laws, which in turn results in problems.

“The other challenge is the infiltration of our policies by the Westerners, where we begin to see that our curriculum or the way we groom ourselves is being dominated by the western world.

“Right now there are some schools where students are being taught that you are not a he or she you can be whatever you want. 

“For example, the issue of corporal punishment, the moment it was banned we have seen a decline in terms of the social fabric of our society.”

According to Pastor Hamandishe, the curriculum must be home made and must give the nation a sense of identity.

The Executive Director of The Leadership Agenda, Dr Grace Mae Taruvinga also echoed the sentiments, saying there was need to design the education system in such a way that it delivers, as everything resonates around the curriculum. 

“We cannot continue to produce people who are like us, there has to be deconstruction, there are certain things that have to be taken out.

“Education is really the basis of all which successful nations can be built but also paradoxically, education can also cause under development, the issue is what is taught,” she said.

Dr Taruvinga said the curriculum should incorporate all of the issues now plaguing the country, arguing that the current curriculum was not engineered towards factoring in the demands of the ever changing environment.

“Issues to do with climate change, I think that these issues must be critically integrated into the curriculum.

“I sincerely believe that the drug problem we have today is fuelled and propelled by our education because we didn’t empower our children with values for them to be able to make decisions wisely.”

Commenting on the issue of CALAs, Dr Raymond Muringani, Church Education Secretary for Zion Christian Church said there was need to reduce the number of cala projects so that students can concentrate on their areas of specialisation.

As owners of many primary and secondary schools, as well as certain tertiary and technical institutions, churches have played and continue to play a crucial role in the Zimbabwean educational system.