admin
Remember Deketeke, Herald Reporter
There’s a humorous joke that circulates in the country about a parent who completed their child’s homework, only for the teacher to write “You are not serious, please see me”, as all the answers were wrong.
It wasn’t the student who got all the answers wrong, but the parent, and while this may elicit a laugh, it underscores a real struggle for many parents trying to assist their children with homework, even in grade one.
I recently looked at my nephew’s homework, which included the question, “Mwana wegonzo anonzi chii…?” (What name is given to the young one of a rat?).
It struck me how even straightforward tasks can become overwhelming for parents eager to help.
While some English questions can be quickly resolved with an internet search, the challenges extend beyond Shona; virtually every subject presents daunting tasks for parents, creating a generational gap in understanding.
Many parents are increasingly relying on purchasing data to assist with CALAs (Continued Assessment Learning Activities) and school-based projects, which pose similar challenges to homework.
In an interview, Mr Batsirai Nyamombe, shared a particularly eye-opening experience.
His child once asked him, “Dad, did you even attend school?” He laughed while recounting the story.
“My child came home with English and ICT homework, and I tried everything to help.
“However, it was all in vain. My little girl boldly asked me, ‘Daddy! Did you even go to school?'”
Mr Nyamombe’s experience is not isolated.
Many parents grapple with the complexities of the modern curriculum, which often feels worlds apart from what they learned in school.
He noted how subjects have evolved, incorporating technology and new methodologies that can leave parents feeling lost.
“I remember my school days when homework was straightforward, but now it feels like a puzzle I cannot solve,” he said.
This generational disconnect can lead to frustration on both sides.
Berven Fombe, a 20-year-old student at a local university, echoed similar sentiments about primary school homework and CALAs, noting that these challenges impact not just parents but also university students.
“I have a problem with my uncles and parents who assume that if someone is at university, they know everything, especially when it comes to primary school homework,” he said.
“Every day, I am battling with my own assignments and projects, and often I do not have answers to help my little sister with her homework or projects. Even Google sometimes does not have the answers.”
Last year Government scrapped and revised the Continuous Assessment Learning Activities (CALA) and replaced it with new school-based projects of practical applications with the number of areas covered by the non-examination process reduced from about eight to one for each subject.
Learners in primary schools will now be offered a maximum of six learning areas instead of a minimum of 27, which they used to do, while Form 1 to 4 learners will have five compulsory learning areas.
Currently students are studying under the Heritage-Based Education 2024-2030, which is anchored on the pillars of programmes or learning areas infrastructure, staffing infrastructure, physical and digital infrastructure, legal and regulatory infrastructure and financial infrastructure.
Pertinent issues in the learning programmes infrastructure include rationalisation of learning areas and strengthening the school-based continuous assessment.
At the infant level (ECD A to Grade 2), learning areas have been reduced from the previous 11 to six.
The reduction is also being applied at junior level in Grades 3 to 7.
The review of the assessment modalities and tools would entail the rationalisation of CALA activities, now denoted as school-based projects, which emphasise the learner being observed carrying out the practical aspects at school.
It had been envisaged that the identification of pathways would be implemented early when enrolling learners for secondary education in order to cater for differences in talent and ability.
Yet, many parents, despite the drastic reduction in the number of learning areas still find themselves fumbling in the woods with no clue to answers for their children’s homework, even for some who are still in the infant stages of primary school.
But, even as parents are scratching their heads, feel at ease with questions that their children bring home, there is no going back to the inquiry-based teaching approaches where learning aims to transform teaching practices from the traditional route learning.
More learner-centred approaches where pupils have space to develop their creativity, to develop and express their ideas, to collaborate with one another, to learn by doing and thereby experience holistic development are being preferred.
Online Reporter