Zimpapers Logo

Cde Mandipaka

Sydney Mubaiwa in Zaka
Teachers and parents in Zaka have urged Government to allocate more resources to the education system for easier implementation of the new curriculum which came into effect last year.

They were speaking at Rumwanda High School where members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education, Sport, Arts and Culture were gathering views on the new curriculum. Parents and teachers said implementation of the new curriculum will continue to be dogged by teething problems “as it was hastily introduced”.

The portfolio committee heard that both teachers and learners were struggling to embrace the new curriculum, hence the need to avail more resources for it to be easily implemented in the country’s educational institutions countrywide.

Rumwanda High School deputy headmaster Mr Abraham Kumutsana said while there was nothing wrong with the new curriculum, the speedy way in which it was introduced was bound to attract a lot of criticism.

“Government should be applauded for coming up with a new system of learning, but the manner in which they rushed to implement it needs no rocket scientists to note that it was not going to be all smooth sailing. There was need for responsible authorities to first capacitate both teachers and learners with resources before rushing to introduce the new curriculum,” he said.

Mr Kumutsana, however, conceded that the new curriculum would eventually find currency within both the teaching fraternity and among learners as it was designed to develop life and learning skills.

“Our first problem is that, there are no resources to support the implementation of the new system of learning. Most teachers do not have copies and specimen for the syllabus as there is no funding to facilitate the production of the copies. Teachers must have copies of the new syllabus to guide them,” he added.

Mr Farai Taruziva, the School Development Committee chairperson, said it was incumbent upon Government to review upwards salaries earned by teachers in view of the increased workload after the advent of the new education curriculum.

Chairman of the portfolio committee Cde Oliver Mandipaka, who is also Member of Parliament for Buhera West constituency, said there was need for Government to open up more education training centres across the country to cater for the increasing workload in schools.

“There is urgent need for Government to enhance the new education curriculum by conducting vigorous training of educators in institutions of higher learning. The Government should also make available resources to facilitate ICT training starting from ECD level,” said Cde Mandipaka.

“The main thrust of this visit is to check how schools are able to adopt to the second phase of the new education curriculum which the Government introduced last year.”

Both parents and teachers paid tribute to Cde Mandipaka and his team for allowing them to air grievances with regards to the new education curriculum that seeks to further enhance advances made in the country’s education system since independence.