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Prof Mavima

Anesu Kurebwaseka Mutare Correspondent
ZIMBABWE’s education system can be competitive on the global arena if the updated education curriculum is properly implemented, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima has said.

Addressing educational officers and teachers during the second Bi-Annual Conference of the National Association of Schools Inspectors and Directors (NASID) in Mutare last week, Prof Mavima said the updated curriculum had a lot of programmes that would greatly contribute to the macro- development of the country, resulting in an economic turnaround.

“With the new curriculum, it is not just business, but rather business unusual, and as Zimbabwe in this 21st Century we do not want our education to be found lagging behind because we could not advance ourselves technologically,” he said.

“This updated curriculum, if properly implemented with a positive attitude, will be able to bring the best as we focus on what a child is good at and we support that child to be the best.”

Prof Mavima warned those who were spreading biased information on social media, degrading the new curriculum without full information and without even giving it a shot to see what it can yield.

Most people have developed a negative attitude towards the new curriculum, saying it was out of line with the educational values and that has triggered nasty comments, especially on social media.

Prof Mavima said the new curriculum would be retained, with the priority of the Ministry being to promote education through infrastructure development in schools to accommodate different activities from sport to art, improve teacher capacity development and being alert on current trends in research.

Permanent secretary in the Ministry, Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango said indeed the new curriculum was the doorway to the competitive world, a chance to see how innovative Zimbabweans could be.

“People are sometimes afraid of change, as seen by how people have been responding to the new curriculum, especially on social media, but I advise them to have a positive mind, to take the risk as we try something new for the greater good,” she said.

Prof Mavima applauded NASID for being a professional, academic oriented organisation in promoting quality education in the country by making sure that people understood the new curriculum.