Heritage Based curriculum unveiled

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter

ALL learners at secondary schools will now be placed in a two-route pathway of their choice to be determined on whether they want academic pursuit or they want to acquire vocational skills as the Government begins to implement the Heritage-Based Curriculum Framework 2024 to 2030 that was recently adopted by Cabinet.

The framework also entails that an Ordinary Level pupil will have to take up five compulsory subjects with an option of three more, while those in Advanced Level are obliged to take three subjects determined by their career pathway.

This means the days when some pupils would take up a huge number of subjects are now gone.

According to a circular prepared by Secretary of Primary and Secondary Education, Mr Moses Mhike, the primary objective of the Heritage Based Curriculum is to ensure that pupils acquire skills, values and attitudes for life and for work through integrating and reinforcing a strong scientific and technological bias as part of the Government’s skills development strategy.

“To avoid any education wastage, the Heritage – Based Curriculum accommodates a two-route progression system as pupils enrol for Form 1. Route 1 is for those who want to progress to “A” level then university. Route 2 is for those who want to acquire vocational skills for life and for work. Route 2 pupils will follow the Zimbabwe National Qualifications Framework’s skills pathway under Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development. They do HEXCO courses, National Foundation Certificate (NFC) at Form 4 and Nation Certificate (NC) after Form 4 using the module,” reads the circular.

“Forms 5 and 6 pupils study learning areas according to the career pathway. A pupil is placed into a pathway of choice using the acquired competencies (knowledge, skills and values) and profile record. All Learning Areas have the same weight. The curriculum promotes five pathways which are Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); Visual and Performing Arts; Technical and Vocational Education and Training; Humanities; and Commercials.”

The five subjects that will be compulsory from Form One to Four are English Language, Mathematics, Indigenous Language, Combined Science and Heritage Studies. In addition, pupils may also study following categories: Sciences which include Computer Science (Form 1 to 4), Geography (Form 1 to 4), Physics (Form 3 to 4), Chemistry (Form 3 to 4) Biology (Form 3 to 4 ), Statistics (Form 3 to 4), Additional Mathematics Forms 3 to 4) Pure Mathematics (Forms 3 to 4) and Pure Mathematics.

Other categories include Languages, Humanities, Commercials, Technical and Vocational Education and physical education and arts.

According to the implementation modalities, all the 2024 examination classes, that is, Grade 7, Form 4 and Form 6 will continue with the old curriculum and its assessment modalities, the 2024 examination classes, will continue with CALAs to complete the assessment cycle and submit to ZIMSEC.

The cycle also stipulates that non — examination classes will commence School Based Projects in May 2024 and each pupil at whatever level will do one project per learning area per year and Grade 6, Form 3 and Form 5s 2024 school based projects will be considered as part of coursework mark to ZIMSEC in 2025.

Learners in primary schools will now be offered a maximum of six learning areas instead of a minimum of 27.

In line with the Second Republic policy of leaving no one and no place behind, the Government is also ensuring the provision of conducive teaching and learning infrastructure in rural areas, small-scale and commercial farming areas as well as old and new resettlement areas.

“The heritage refers to the natural endowments of Zimbabwe; flora, fauna, water, minerals and human resources; that our education should exploit. The underlying principle is an education system that produces goods and services useful to the economy, based on heritage,” reads the circular.

The circular also directs that indigenous language should be used in teaching infants.

Commenting on the circular, last night, Mr Mhike said the primary objective of the heritage based curriculum was to ensure that a learner discovers himself or herself through identifying areas that he/she is good at between academic pursuit or vocational technological skills.

He said gone were the days of learners siting more than 10 subjects at Ordinary level and equally several subjects at A Level as that did not give any educational value.

“That is the major area of departure. We want a learner to chose if he or she wants to make academic pursuit where he will go to tertiary college or university or he wants to acquire a skill either in carpentry, woodwork among others. So the secondary education should provide a basis for that,” said Mr Mhike.

“We have already started receiving feedback. We will go back to our stakeholders that include teachers union, parents, the media so that we have a consolidated framework before the date of its implementation.”