‘Schools should strive to have non-formal education classes’

Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
ALL schools in Zimbabwe should strive to have non-formal education classes to address the needs of communities they serve. Addressing education inspectors, district education officers, school development committee chairpersons and school heads during a curriculum consultation meeting at Victoria Junior School in Masvingo on Friday, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education permanent secretary Sylvia Utete-Masango said there should be extra non-formal education classes at all schools to give all community members the opportunity to learn.

She said schools should not be confined to academic work only, but should include vocational training classes.

“We have a school in Matabeleland South called Madlambuzi Secondary. This school is in the remotest part of Matabeleland but what it does makes it a competitive school that if we can take and place it somewhere here in Masvingo City, it will be still good. It offers formal education and non-formal education including vocational training like carpentry, bricklaying and even provisional driving lessons,” she said.

Utete-Masango said before the introduction of the programme at the school, young boys of school going age were flocking neighbouring Botswana and enrolment figures were going down, but the situation has since improved.

“This school is a model on its own because of what the authorities there have done. The school has introduced non-formal education classes through which adults have acquired relevant skills. Before this, there was a drastic drop in enrolment but now it is ever increasing. Last time when I went there it had about 400 pupils but now it has about 900. Youths no longer cross to Botswana as they have realised the benefit of learning given the new approach.”