Heritage-Based Education Curriculum Divides Teachers
Teachers’ unions have expressed mixed views on the proposed Heritage-Based Education 2024-30 Curriculum.
Under the Heritage-Based Education 2024-30 Curriculum Framework, learning the History of Zimbabwe will become compulsory, and national shrines, cultural heritage sites and the national pledge will be accorded special emphasis.
Speaking to NewsDay, Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure said the current history being taught in schools is flawed. He said:
We, however, take exception to the issue of emphasising the learning of a flawed history of Zimbabwe. The current history was written to simply praise those who assumed power in 1980.
The true history of Zimbabwe, including the important roles of ZAU, Ndabaningi Sithole and all liberation war heroes should be taught.
The missteps of the ruling party and violations of human rights post-independence, including Gukurahundi, must be taught in our schools.
The heroic sacrifices of people like Morgan Tsvangirayi towards producing the current Constitution must be part of the taught history.
History should not be a eulogy of ZAPU PF, but a detailed account of our past to inform our future endeavours…
Funding of these good intentions is also important. The Treasury has shown a stinking austerity attitude which is not in line with realising these big promises.
Educators Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Tapedza Zhou said the Government has to explain how the proposed curriculum differs from the previous one and how education will be funded to ensure a smooth implementation of the framework. He said:
Does the New Heritage-based curriculum differ from the previous one which was competence-based, what are the areas of continuity and change?
How does the minister intend to overcome the resource question given that the previous curriculum was paralysed due to failure to address this question?
One critical error made, therefore, is to rely on local resources in bankrolling the New Curriculum despite the bankruptcy of the teachers, learners and parents.
Another Concern is to have both teachers and learners being forced to endure a huge curriculum shift each time an education minister is changed.
However, Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA) spokesperson Goodwill Taderera said the proposed curriculum was a welcome development. He said:
As ZIMTA we submitted a paper to the Education minister to the effect that almost everything had to be revised, particularly the CALA which was hovering around 30% and the number of learning areas which we thought needed to be reduced.
We are yet to study 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 and from the secondary 7 to 5 and we think this is a welcome development.
Under the the proposed Heritage-Based Education 2024-2030 curriculum framework, the infant level (ECD A to Grade 2), learning areas are being reduced from the previous eleven to six. The reduction will also apply at Junior Level (Grades 3 to 7).
At secondary school level, the core and compulsory learning areas are being reduced from seven to five.
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