EDUCATION: Consultative meetings poorly attended

The on-going education curriculum review consultative meetings involving the general public are often poorly attended, a fact which has been attributed to lack of publicity.

Education Coalition of Zimbabwe’s Maxwell Rafemoyo said his organisation is facing challenges each time it engages the general public during the consultative process.

“We have had breakfast meetings with captains of industry and civic society. I must say that the response from these stakeholders was good. We are, however, facing challenges when it comes to handling meetings involving the general public. In my view, the process is not being adequately publicised,” Mr Rafemoyo said.

The education ministry has been doing consultative meetings with stakeholders in a bid to gather views on how best the review of the curriculum should be done in the country.

A brief survey conducted by The Sunday Mail revealed that in most cases, the the majority of the populace was not be aware of the meetings.

“I am not aware of any meetings. By the way, what are the meetings all about?” an unidentified parent said as he passed through the venue of a consultative meeting in Kuwadzana.

Another consultative meeting that was held in Mount Pleasant on Thursday was also poorly attended.

Efforts to get a comment from Honourable Lazarus Dokora, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, were fruitless since he was not picking up his phone.

According to Mr Rafemoyo, the major talking point during the consultative meetings is how the curriculum will address such pertinent issues as employment, skills and values.

“The curriculum must find answers to the country’s major problem, unemployment. It must be able to churn out graduates that will go on to create employment opportunities as opposed to seeking employment,” Mr Rafemoyo said.

He also said that apart from the skills, the curriculum must also produce graduates with ethos and values.

“As a result of the current curriculum which does not seek to entrench values and ethos in students, colleges are now producing mercenaries,” added Mr Rafemoyo.

The Minister is on record saying that there is need for a curriculum that produces students that are competent and can make a meaningful contribution to the economic development of Zimbabwe.