Online ReporterMutsawashe Mashandure
Herald Correspondent
A GROUND-BREAKING social and emotional learning initiative targeting 3 220 Early Childhood Development B (ECD-B) classes across 18 operational districts in Manicaland and the Matabeleland provinces has been launched by Government.
The programme, which aims to equip pre-school children with foundational values and competencies such as empathy, self-esteem, and respect, is set to run as a pilot programme this year and up to June next year, aligning with Zimbabwe’s heritage-based curriculum.
The initiative, led by the learner welfare, psychological services and special needs education under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, is being implemented in collaboration with Think Equal as the central coordinating body, the Education Development Trust as the principal consortium lead, and Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative as the training partner.
Class implementation of social and emotional learning will span 28 weeks from March to December this year, targeting ECD-B teachers, teachers in charge, primary school heads, and cluster chairpersons.
Speaking at the national sensitisation activity for Education Ministry senior managers on the new component of the programme for teacher effectiveness and equitable access for all children held in Harare recently, the Ministry director of communications and advocacy Mr Taungana Ndoro emphasised the programme’s focus on psychosocial support, wellbeing, social justice, and mental health, covering 25 skills and competencies.
“We will be teaching them a better number of skills like empathy, compassion, self-esteem, and self-confidence to make them people of integrity, such that when they grow up, they are able to use their skills in other areas to the benefit of the socio-economic transformation of the nation,” said.
He highlighted the programme’s dual focus on both learners and teachers, stressing the importance of equipping educators with the necessary skills to model and impart these values effectively.
“The teacher also assists our teachers to be people of integrity who then have those certain skills which they can impact on our pupils so that when they grow up, they avoid the pitfalls that may come their way as they pursue quality education,” he added.
Mr Ndoro highlighted that the programme seeks to address disparities in skill levels among teachers, ensuring all are equipped to deliver social and emotional learning effectively.
“Some of them are at a more advanced level than others, but it will be just trying to bring everybody to the same level so that they can impact the same social and emotional learning to our children,” he said.
He further underscored the critical role of foundational skills such as self-confidence, self-esteem, compassion and empathy in addressing societal challenges.
