New curriculum: Govt to buy $9m textbooks

Herald Reporter
Government is buying textbooks and other learning materials worth $9 million from publishers to meet the required content in the new curriculum, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora has said.

The learning material, which will be procured in phases, will be from different publishers who were tasked with the development of teaching and learning material.

In a speech read on his behalf recently by his deputy, Professor Paul Mavhima, Minister Dokora said the first phase was underway and focused on material for ECD A, Grade 1, Grade 3, Form 1, Form 3 and Form 5.

He said this would enhance quality and relevance of education in Zimbabwe, which will see the second phase of buying musical instruments and laboratory equipment for primary schools.

“It must be noted that this investment in teaching is to augment the already excellent work in some schools that have prioritised procurement of the new learning materials,” he said.

“The ministry would want to inform its valued stakeholders in the publishing and instrument making fraternities that it will soon be calling for tenders to those who would want to participate in supplying the teaching and learning materials.”

Minister Dokora called for all those who would want to be part of the process of supplying the material to submit their proposals before the cut-off date.

“Any submission beyond the cut-off date shall be considered in the next bulk procurement, notwithstanding what individual schools are able to do and are continuing to do. Those who submitted materials but have not received any responses from the Ministry should contact the Curriculum Development and Technical Services department before August 31, 2017,” he said. The learning areas which will be considered for ECD A and Grade 1 will be family and heritage studies, heritage and social studies, information and communication technology, mass displays, physical education, visual and performing arts, mathematics and science.

Grade 3 and Form 1 materials to be bought will be for agriculture, visual and performing arts, information and communication technology, family, religion and moral education, heritage studies physical education, sport and mass displays, and general science.

Government undertook a national review of the school curriculum which was completed in 2016, paving way for the implementation of the new curriculum this year.