The proposed syllabus for heritage-based education 2024-30 has divided teachers with some expressing doubts, while raising concerns about making the country’s history a compulsory subject.
The Heritage-Based Education Curriculum Framework 2024-30 is expected to embrace history as a foundation for learning and infuse technology, and should be implemented from early childhood development up to secondary school level.
National shrines and cultural heritage sites will be included in all curricula, and special emphasis will be placed on the National Pledge in order to inculcate patriotism, loyalty and respect in learners.
Zimbabwe Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union president Obert Masaruri said the current history being taught in schools is flawed.
“However, we take away the issue of emphasizing learning from Zimbabwe’s flawed history. The current history has been written merely to praise those who came to power in 1980. The true history of Zimbabwe, including the important roles of Zapu and Ndabanenge, must be taught by Sithole and all Heroes of the Liberation War.
“The mistakes of the ruling party and human rights violations after independence, including Gukurahundi, should be taught in our schools. The heroic sacrifices made by people like Morgan Tsvangirai to produce the current Constitution should be part of the history taught. History should not be a eulogy For Zanu PF, it should be a detailed account of our past to guide our future endeavours.
Masaror said the proposed new approach was promising because it was presented with all the right words, however, they were still skeptical about the government’s ability to deliver on the promises made in the blueprint.
“However, we will not celebrate these promises, as the preamble for the period from 2015 to 2022 was also worded in the right terms, but the outline was exactly the opposite.
“Funding this goodwill is also important. The Treasury has demonstrated an abhorrent austerity stance that is not consistent with delivering on these big promises.”
Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) spokesperson, Goodwill Taderera, said the proposed curriculum is an upgrade from the Continuing Learning Activity (CALA) programme.
“We, in ZIMTA, submitted a paper to the Minister of Education that almost everything should be reviewed, especially the CALA which was hovering around 30% and the number of learning areas that we thought should be reduced,” he said.
“We have not yet studied the proposed new curriculum, but it is a welcome development. We hear that they have now made it a heritage-based curriculum and that they have reduced from the primary sector about 11 subjects to 6 subjects and from 7 to 5 secondary and we believe this is a welcome development.
Zimbabwe Teachers Union secretary-general, Tabidza Chu, said the proposed new curriculum was still unclear and raised more questions than answers. “Is the new heritage-based curriculum different from the previous competency-based curriculum, and what are the areas of continuity and change? How does the Minister intend to overcome the resources question, even though the previous approach was paralyzed by not answering this question? inquire.
“Therefore, one of the major mistakes that has been made is to rely on local resources to fund the new curriculum despite the bankruptcy of teachers, learners and parents.
“Another concern is that teachers and learners have to endure a major change in the curriculum every time the Minister of Education is changed,” he added. Newsday
