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PRACTICAL subjects will soon be mandatory for every pupil in the country’s schools in a move meant to develop a skills base for economic development, a Cabinet Minister said yesterday.
Minister of State for Liaising on Psychomotor Activities in Education, Cde Josiah Hungwe said during a tour of Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre in Bulawayo that all pupils must be taught practical work. He said despite the country’s high literacy rate, there was still high unemployment rate due to lack of skills among the country’s graduates.
“The school curriculum at all levels needs to be restructured to develop in our graduates entrepreneurial skills and give them skills that will reflect the current indigenisation philosophy that seeks to empower people,” Cde Hungwe said.
“Our education system needs to be revised to give our youth a sense of self-worth and engender among them an appreciation of the value of work and the role of small industries.”
Cde Hungwe said modifying the curriculum would go a long way towards empowering the youth to sustain their lives and those of their communities. He said youth unemployment was a global phenomenon that could only be tackled by providing skills training for young school leavers.
“Future players in our development are those that can take part practically in what is happening. Therefore there is need for a paradigm shift in our educational system that gives skills to our people,” said Cde Hungwe.
He said although the country had achieved a high literacy rate, youth unemployment was extremely high due to the missing practical link in the education sector.
“We have tended to follow a traditionally academic path based on the English O-Level and A-Level curriculum with its emphasis on the arts and classics,” he said adding, “We have many graduates who are educated but they do not have life skills. Employment prospects of school leavers and graduates are grim.”
Cde Hungwe said government will ensure that the Nziramasanga Commission recommendations on education were fulfilled so that the country does not produce only educated, but productive people.
He also said the International Labour Organisation and the World Bank among other new partners had pledged to assist with resources.
Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre general manager Moses Munthali commended Cde Hungwe for visiting the centre, saying they needed assistance in reviving it.
“We are in the process of reviving the centre and the new ministry has come at the right time. We have already introduced arts classes in some primary schools and teacher training colleges,” said Munthali.
He added: “We have a challenge, however, in replacing our obsolete machinery and raising finance to efficiently run the centre. Most of the students that benefit from this centre cannot afford to pay the fees. I hope government will extend the Basic Education and Assistance Module to such centres.”
The centre specialises in pottery, commercial and fine art, ceramic sculpture, wood and stone sculpture and fine art.
Cde Hungwe also visited Westgate Vocational Training Centre and today he is set to visit Ihlathi Secondary School in Tshabalala.
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