Online Reporter
Moses Magadza in GABORONE, Botswana
ZIMBABWE has outlined a comprehensive and coordinated approach to implementing regional education and labour commitments, telling parliamentarians gathered in Gaborone that the country’s reforms are firmly anchored in constitutional guarantees and national development strategies aimed at building resilient and inclusive human capital.
Presenting the country’s submission to the standing committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes (HSDSP) of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, Ms Lynnette Karenyi said Zimbabwe’s progress under the SADC Protocol on Education and Training (1997) and the SADC Protocol on Employment and Labour (2023) reflect a deliberate national effort to align education, employment and development outcomes.
“Zimbabwe’s approach to these protocols is neither incidental nor fragmented. Rather, it is situated within a deliberate and coherent national policy architecture, anchored in the Constitution and operationalised through successive development strategies, which place human capital development at the centre of socio-economic transformation,” she told the Committee.
The statutory meeting started on March 27 and ending yesterday.
It examined how SADC member States are implementing the two protocols as part of regional efforts to strengthen education systems, improve labour market participation and promote inclusive growth.
Ms Karenyi reported that Zimbabwe signed the Education and Training Protocol, which entered into force on September 30, 2000, and has since pursued reforms aimed at harmonising education and skills development.
On the Employment and Labour Protocol, she noted that Cabinet approved ratification in June last year, signalling the country’s commitment to regional labour cooperation.
She said the country has embedded these commitments within a broader legal and policy framework designed to protect vulnerable groups and expand opportunities, citing key legislative measures such as the Marriages Act of 2022 and the Public Health Act of 2018.
In the education sector, Ms Karenyi highlighted a shift in national policy through the adoption of the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 model, which promotes innovation and industrialisation alongside teaching and research.
“The strategic intent of the reforms is to ensure that education is not merely a pathway to employment, but a driver of production, value addition and economic transformation, thereby, directly addressing the objectives of the Education Protocol.”
She further pointed to the Education Amendment Act of 2020, which provides re-entry protections for pregnant girls and adolescent mothers, describing it as a concrete step towards strengthening gender inclusion and educational continuity.
Ms Karenyi also cited Zimbabwe’s engagement in regional labour dialogue, including reforms to Technical and Vocational Education and Training and efforts to extend protection to workers in the informal economy.
On youth unemployment and social vulnerability, she stressed the importance of targeted interventions linking education, health and social protection.
These include adolescent-friendly health services, school health policies and institutional safeguards such as anti-sexual harassment frameworks and life skills education.
In strengthening child protection, Ms Karenyi highlighted the Criminal Laws Amendment (Protection of Children and Young Persons) Act of 2024, which raises the age of consent to 18 and aligns domestic legislation with constitutional standards.
Turning to the role of Parliament, she stressed that legislative oversight remains central to ensuring that regional commitments translate into tangible results for citizens.
“Parliament continues to play a central oversight role in ensuring that these frameworks are not merely aspirational, but are effectively implemented and aligned with national and regional commitments.
Ms Karenyi, who is the deputy chairperson of the HSDSP Committee, reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to regional cooperation and to strengthening the link between education systems and labour market absorption, particularly for young people.
“Zimbabwe remains committed to working with fellow member States in advancing these shared objectives and ensuring that the promise of these protocols is fully realised for the benefit of our peoples,” she said.
The committee’s meeting drew more than 30 Members of Parliament from across the SADC region, alongside representatives of the SADC Secretariat, civil society, academia and development partners, to deliberate on measures for leveraging education and labour frameworks to build resilient and inclusive human capital for the future.
Moses Magadza is the Media and Communications manager at the SADC PF
