Online Reporter
Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
The Government has commended the proactive adoption of interactive learning boards and the increased adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by local schools, declaring these steps crucial to the nation’s developmental goals.
This comes as the Government plans to roll out the “One Pupil, One Tablet – One Student, One Laptop” programme nationwide in 2026.
The programme will particularly target rural areas as the country moves to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban schools, in line with the National Development Strategy 2.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s District Schools Inspector for Chitungwiza Dr Elisha Kujeke, who recently commissioned six interactive boards at Pathway Group of Schools, said the initiative aligns with the national Vision 2030 mandate of transitioning the country into an upper middle-income economy.
“We are officially unveiling six new interactive boards. This is another major milestone in modernising our education system, directly supporting the new curriculum and accelerating our integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI),” he said.
“This development also aligns with our country’s vision of achieving an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.”
Local schools are undertaking a significant educational reform by replacing traditional chalkboards with modern Smart Boards (Interactive Whiteboards).
Makanaka Manjova, 12, headgirl at Pathway Junior School, applauded the introduction of interactive boards, saying they make learning easier.
“Interactive boards and computers were introduced to this school this year, and they have helped us a lot,” she said.
“We mainly use the interactive boards when we need to prepare for something. For example, I am in the club for quizzes and spellings, so we just go on the interactive board and check the past competitions.”
Another pupil, Sunfree Makunde (13) said: “It has helped us in our studies. You can search on Google or go on YouTube to watch tutorials, and the coming of another batch of these smart boards is going to make our lives easier.”
Pathway Junior School head, Hefa Chirisa, described the adoption of smart boards as one of the key steps being taken to drive the education sector.
“As a school, we are doing a lot of projects to promote this curriculum. To meet 21st-century learning needs, the school has gone the extra mile by purchasing interactive boards, enabling learners to conduct their own research and stay informed. We are now talking about AI,” she said.
