Conrad Gweru Correspondent
FINDINGS of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training led by Dr Cephus Nziramasanga are today haunting the education sector as a number of recommendations are yet to be implemented. Perhaps time has come for Government and policymakers in the education sector to look back and plan for the future based on past events.

Zimbabwe’s education system has a long history, dating from the colonial period which was mainly centred along racial lines with blacks being deprived of their right to education.

After independence, the new government introduced policies to redress the past. These policies opened the gates for indigenous people to access education at all levels. Haunting the education system today is the Nziramasanga Commission findings which are in most cases referred to whenever problems emanate within the sector. The commission came up with innovative recommendations to the system of education and training in the country which if implemented, would have eliminated some of the chronic challenges facing the country’s education system.

The commission noted impressive reforms in education soon after independence as the education and training sector was democratised.

Education became available to the majority of the school-going age children in the country. While this was a positive result as more and more indigenous people were being accommodated into the education system, a lot of pressure was put on infrastructure, financial support and human resources for the education sector, says part of the report.

Some of the recommendations put forward by the commission include introducing a nine-year compulsory basic education (junior school) cycle for all pupils in order to cultivate habits, attitudes, interests, skills and entrepreneurial opportunities. The commission also recommended an outcome based curriculum which is broad based in terms of subject offering and also focuses on learning areas and employment related skills. At senior school, the commission recommended four interlinked programmes: General (Academic) commercial or business, technical, vocational, technical colleges and trade testing to be conducted at senior school one and two.

More importantly, the commission recommended a panel body of experts outside the Ministry of Education to implement and monitor recommendations made. While curriculum review is a step in the right direction, the education system in the country is in need of a complete overhaul. Express changes in technology at a global level imply that information communication technologies (ICTs) should be embraced in the education sector.

This should be done in the understanding that ICTs do not only mean ability of students to type using a computer but also ensuring that a computer becomes an equally important gadget for learning just like a calculator and a mathematical set. More so, computers should also be used for delivering lessons at all levels by teachers and lecturers.

The e-learning concept that is currently available at elite schools and as pilot projects in some rural and urban public schools should be expanded to every school. Today, the education system that expanded soon after independence and with a literacy level hovering around 90 percent has done nothing much more than producing academics as the current curriculum emphasises more on theory than appreciation of practical concepts and innovative skills.

The current economic environment that has seen many people being retrenched has put the country’s education system to test. School leavers have no place in the formal and informal sector as the education system has prepared them to be employees than employers.

School leavers need to be equipped with entrepreneurial skills not as a fall-back position but also as an equal alternative for those that prefer to initiate their own projects. The report further notes that education should foster a desire to learn and create a learning society as well as offer flexibility by giving the learner choice from a given curriculum. There is a growing trend in the education sector of ‘spotting’ possible examination questions, cramming and using all forms of tactics to ensure that one succeeds in examinations.

The sector has created a system that gives too much pressure, hunger and thirst to learners to score good marks during exams without emphasising on attaining necessary skills suitable for work.

Highly achieving students are recognised at workplaces yet the changing economic environment is in need of innovators and system changers more than graduates who can only design strategies but without the ability to implement.

Universities through their block release, visiting school and weekend classes have done well to afford higher level education to the working class who were either deprived of the same due to limited financial and other possible challenges.

Unfortunately, most of these universities have only considered the need by individuals to attain undergraduate and post graduate programmes but have not addressed the workplace need for innovative employees equipped with practical knowledge. It does not make much sense for a marketing manager for example without an undergraduate degree to go to college for three years and be exempted for one year attachment period but still learn the same material that a full time student is learning. Most of these programmes for the working class should equip learners with innovative skills such that they become problem solvers and innovators more than just being proud of earning a degree simply because the employers first consideration is the level of education of the prospective candidate without looking at the ability of the person to deliver.

The system is therefore producing, for example, engineers who are good in documenting and developing or setting systems but are practically handicapped. Science and technology graduates in the country are not useful in the current environment. They are rich in theory but practically poor. The current economic environment requires innovation and new strategies. Emerging economies such as that of China and Japan have strived due to the focus on science and technology not at workplace level but at school going level. These countries are highly innovative and technologically advanced due to their curriculum which promotes science and technology. Resources can, however, not be ignored as qualitative reforms require huge budgets for them to be implemented. In this case, government should consider partnerships with the donor community, private sector and interested individuals who can invest in the education sector. Another major challenge in the sector is standardisation of the system which is affected by resources.

A number of qualified teachers are not interested in providing their service at marginalised rural areas. The system should also strive to be innovative and flexible to socio-economic changes for it to be relevant. In farming areas as an example, agriculture should be made compulsory and farming as a business should be mainstreamed in such environments.

Pre-school education is also lagging behind. Early Childhood Development (ECD) which has become a global phenomenon is still lagging behind in terms of implementation. According to the Nziramasanga Commission, the main objective of the ECD is “To promote holistic development of all children by offering a stimulating environment to enable them to explore and reach their potential for schooling and life-long learning. Education should be accessible to all especially the zero to six years old.”

The Nziramasanga findings noted that private pre-schools or nursery schools were expensive, hence the need for the government to adopt the early childhood initiative in order to provide affordable education. It is from this finding that the commission recommended that ECD A (3-4) year old and B (5-6) year old be accommodated in formal schools.

The broad objective of the ECD programme is to improve young children’s capacity to develop and learn.

The infant school is now comprised of first two years of ECD A and B while Grades One and Two make up the final years.

Again, there is lack of standardisation at ECD level. Currently pre-schools that are more expensive have better ECD facilities than the cheaper ones were children spend most of their time playing games outside, sleeping and drawing patterns.

Also to be addressed are issues concerning inclusive education.

Gone are the days of setting up schools for the disabled. Education institutions should be revamped to accommodate every individual without discriminating on their disability. Also of great concern is addressing gender issues within the education sector to allow equal opportunities for both girls and boys.

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