The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has directed all schools to revert to the normal five-day learning week starting from today, 08 May 2023.
In a circular dated 03 May, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Tumisang Thabela said there is no longer a need to rotate attendance at schools short of classrooms which was done to minimise COVID-19 infections.
She said rotational attendance was introduced in August 2021 as a response to rising COVID-19 cases but this has now been cancelled with immediate effect.
Thabela, however, urged schools to follow standard procedures and boarding schools to avoid overcrowding as the coronavirus is still a threat. She said:
<blockquote>
Given that there has been a relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in the country and in accordance to the citizenry to consider being vaccinated, alternate attendance to school by learners as stipulated in the previous circulars is hereby cancelled with immediate effect.
However, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education reiterates the need for strict and close observance of the standard operating procedures in all schools.
Boarding schools should not enroll beyond their capacities and overcrowd pupils.
</blockquote>
Last week, the World Health Organisation declared that COVID-19 is no longer a global public health emergency.
Thabela also reminded all schools, public and private, that they must accept all forms of payment for school fees and levies. She said:
<blockquote>
All modes of payment currently obtaining in Zimbabwe shall be acceptable for fees and levies settlement. Requests by schools for payment in a specific currency are not acceptable.
Parents or guardians opting to pay fees in US dollars or in Rand should be allowed to do so calculated against the prevailing bank rate on the authorised fee and levy structure and receipted, banked and expended as such up to the acquittal point.
</blockquote>
On Saturday, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education spokesperson Taungana Ndoro <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/government-on-high-alert-to-prevent-illegal-school-fees-hikes/">told State media</a> that they are on high alert to ensure that schools desist from illegal fee hikes as the 2023 Second Term commences.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Govt Suspends Rotational Attendance In Schools

Officials in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education have said that continuous assessment learning activities (CALA) are here to stay.
The Government is currently in the process of reviewing the competence-based curriculum and CALA has been the major contentious issue under the new curriculum.
Some parents, learners as well as teachers have been resisting the implementation of CALA.
The competence-based curriculum is being reviewed after its first seven-year cycle came to an end last year after being introduced in 2015.
Primary and Secondary Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Tumisang-Thabela said curriculum review does not mean that the Government was doing away with the new curriculum.
Addressing journalists during a curriculum review media engagement workshop, in Darwendale, Zvimba, Mashonaland West Province, Thabela said:
<blockquote>
Our curriculum must be positioned to provide a sustainable base for the production of critical and skilled human capital that will propel the country into an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
… The new assessment model takes into cognisance pupils’ different abilities and flairs, including skills, inherent talents, values and other achievements both in and out of class.
These soft and hard skills observed over a period of time are then incorporated into the final examination marks.
The CALA have thus become a key part of how we accredit the overall performance of a learner as a system.
As we review the curriculum, all these aspects will also be reviewed to ensure they are in line with the educational aspirations of the country.
</blockquote>
Thabela said the ministry will be conducting nationwide consultative meetings before producing the curriculum for the next seven-year cycle. She said:
<blockquote>
The Ministry will also avail various platforms through which stakeholders can make their submissions while also holding external meetings with special interest groups.
Once all the contributions from stakeholders have come through, the Ministry will produce the 2023-2030 Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education (another seven-year cycle).
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) research manager Francis Chirume said:
<blockquote>
We are now assessing 21st-century skills, teamwork, time management, unhu/ubuntu, and leadership, all those skills will be assessed because they are pertinent and significant in our day-to-day lives.
We focus on peer and self-assessment. The learners should be in a position to judge the work of others so that they can improve.
Gone are the days when we teach for competition, we don’t assess for competition, we assess so that we find out what the learners are able to do and what they are not able to do. We assess so that we can tap the talent of our learners.
</blockquote>
He said CALA are not extra work for teachers as this is similar to homework that has always been part of the education system.
The only difference, according to Chirume, is that the work is being standardised within schools.
Chirume said it is academic fraud when parents pay some individuals to do CALA assignments for their children.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

New Curriculum And CALA Here To Stay

More than 20 per cent of primary school children in Zimbabwe reaching Grade 4 are not able to read, write and solve simple mathematical problems.
This was said by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Tumisang Thabela during a Child Budgeting meeting in Harare.
She said 20 percent of children were regressing while some are losing the literacy they would have attained at early learning by the time they reach Grade 4. Thabela said:
<blockquote>
The literacy and numeracy levels in our country need to be improved. The results from the ZELA (our foundational learning level internal national Assessment) revealed that there is 75 percent literacy among our Grade 2 learners who were sampled and 72 percent numeracy levels among the same sample.
In both cases, it was clear that we were shy of the target by more than 20 percent. This meant that more than 20 percent of learners who went into Grade 3 and in Grade 4 this year were not ready in terms of literacy and numeracy foundational skills.
</blockquote>
Literacy is <a href="https://surreylearningbydesign.ca/district-planning/our-learning-story/learning-foundations/">defined</a> as the ability to understand, critically analyze, and create a variety of forms of communication, including oral, written, visual, digital, and multimedia, to accomplish one’s goals.
Numeracy is defined as the ability to understand and apply mathematical concepts, processes, and skills to solve problems and make decisions in a variety of situations, including real-life scenarios.
Meanwhile, Thabela said there is a need to collectively invest in foundational learning to ensure that learners perform better in upper grades. She said:
<blockquote>
20 percent of children in class are actually regressing as learning becomes more and more difficult.
They become regressive and they end up losing even the literacy that they had by Grade 2, which is why I always say when we complain that a child has failed at Grade 7, we are complaining a bit late. We should have complained in Grade 2.
These grades will ensure that a child poor performs poorly in upper grades and beyond because as the stuff they are exposed to becomes more difficult, their gaps widen.
To us, foundational learning is the most fundamental key to any learning g success in our system and in our schools.
We need to collectively invest in this as learners and stakeholders in the education sector.
</blockquote>
| <a href="https://healthtimes.co.zw/2023/01/28/20-percent-zim-primary-school-pupils-cant-read-and-write/">Health Times</a>

20% Of Zimbabwean Primary School Pupils Can't Read And Write

The government has introduced technical high schools in order to help learners acquire innovative industrial skills to be entrepreneurs rather than job seekers.
This was said by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Tumisang Thabela. She said:
<blockquote>
The technical high schools will endeavour to help pupils acquire innovative industrial skills that will either fit them well into industry or enable them to be job creators as opposed to job seekers.
</blockquote>
She said Matabeleland North province had selected Hwange High School as its pilot to specialise in textile technology and design.
Thabela added that the government has since started converting classrooms into science laboratories to increase the uptake of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students. She said:
<blockquote>
The ministry — in line with equity development has started an initiative of converting ordinary classrooms into science laboratories. It will increase the uptake of STEM learning areas.
There is a need to raise those schools outside the national electricity grid to experience green energy in their schools for improved operations.
</blockquote>
Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro revealed that schools in other provinces have been identified for the programme. He said:
<blockquote>
In Bulawayo, Luveve High School will provide aviation studies, while Allan Wilson High School in Harare will provide metal technology and design.
Chipindura High School in Mashonaland Central will provide building technology, and Umzingwane High in Matabeleland South will cater for woodwork, to mention a few among other high schools.
</blockquote>
STEM stands for Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics and focuses on developing higher-level thinking skills by connecting classroom learning to the real world.
According to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/video/193418/overview-STEM-education">an online source</a>, STEM emphasizes collaboration, communication, research, problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity, skills that students need to be successful in today’s world regardless of specific interests or career goals. | <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200006261/govt-introduces-technical-high-schools">NewsDay</a>

Govt Introduces Technical High Schools

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has commenced reviewing the Competence-Based Curriculum as the current seven-year cycle is coming to an end this year.
This was revealed by the permanent secretary in the Ministry, Tumisang Thabela, while speaking at the presentation of the Secretary’s Merit Award to Nyamhunga Number 1 Government Primary School in Kariba on Saturday. She said:
<blockquote>
To date, a terminal evaluation has been undertaken. You are all invited to participate so that you can proffer suggestions on what to be taken on board or discard for the next cycle.
In light of the learning poverty that prevailed due to COVID-19-induced school closures, the ministry came up with a cocktail of alternative learning spaces. 
This entails blended learning, the development of catch-up materials and compressed syllabi for accelerated learning.
In 2017, the school attained a pass rate of 72%, 78% in 2018 and 89% in 2019. This is quite commendable.
I have been made aware, however, that the school experienced a slight decline of 86% pass rate in 2020 and 83% in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
</blockquote>
The Secretary’s Merit Awards awarded to the school include the Head’s tablet and certificate of excellence, 40 tablets, a projector, an electronic interactive board, and a laptop. | <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200006004/competence-based-curriculum-set-for-review">NewsDay</a>

Competence-Based Curriculum Set For Review

The Zimbabwean government is considering reintroducing mid-year public examinations often written in June. 
Authorities are reportedly finalising consultations to ascertain the value of recommencing the tests, <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/government-to-consider-return-of-june-examinations/">The Sunday News</a> reported citing Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education permanent secretary Mrs Tumisang Thabela. 
She told the state-run publication in a recent interview:
<blockquote>
We are thinking of bringing back June exams because, all along, Covid-19 had made it impossible to hold the exams, but we have said we want to try to resume the exams, if possible, either this year or next year.
</blockquote>
Mrs Thabela also said schools were ready to open adding that a change in weather conditions was affecting preparations. She added:
<blockquote>
We have warned our officers to exercise caution. We have also asked the boarders to wait a bit, if they think that it is not safe and parents not to take their children to school yet.
Otherwise, our children are eager to go back to school and we are also eager to go back and start work. 
</blockquote>
Mrs Thabela said consultation on the rollout of the State-funded education initiative was ongoing, with the programme set to commence when schools open.
She also said that the Ministry was allowed to recruit 7 000 teachers in 2023. 
Mrs Thabela also said the government plans to construct more schools this year to address the education infrastructure deficit.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

Govt Considering Reintroducing June Exams This Year

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has directed Provincial Education Directors (PEDs) in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces to ensure that boarding students travel to schools after the 8th of January 2023 due to excessive rains forecasted by the Meteorological Services Department (MSD).
The MSD forecasted heavy rains along and north of the main watershed and the Eastern Highlands from Friday to Sunday.
In a memorandum addressed to PEDs in Masvingo and Manicaland provinces, Ministry of Education permanent secretary Tumisang Thabela said:
<blockquote>
The Civil Protection Unit has alerted of the potential imminent excess rainfall and storms between 6 and 8 January 2023 particularly in Manicaland Province: Mutare rural, Chimanimani, Chipinge, Buhera, and in Masvingo Province: Chiredzi, Mwenezi, Gutu, Bikita, and Zaka Districts.
In view of this warning, boarding pupils are advised to travel after these dates. Be guided accordingly.
</blockquote>
On Wednesday, the Department of Civil Protection advised members of the public that heavy rains in excess of 65mm in 24 hours are expected in all Mashonaland, Manicaland, parts of the Midlands and Masvingo provinces from Friday 6 through Sunday, January 8, 2023.

Ministry Of Education Advises Boarding Pupils To Travel After 8 January

The government says it will withdraw teachers who are not conversant with local community languages in a move meant to ensure that learners in early childhood development (ECD) are taught in their mother language.
This comes after some communities, mainly where minority languages are spoken, have raised concerns over the deployment of teachers who do not speak local languages, particularly in primary schools.
The country recognises 16 official languages, but most schools were mainly teaching Ndebele and Shona.
In an interview with State media on Thursday, Primary and Secondary Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Tumisang Thabela said:
<blockquote>
In terms of teachers who are deployed to areas where people are uncomfortable, there are two things that would have happened.
It would be a case of mistaken deployment because in the human resource database that we use to deploy, the Public Service Commission does the recruitment, and we ask the applicants to tell us the language that they are proficient in before we make a selection.
We are trying to phase out those issues, but once in a while when there has been such a mismatch we withdraw those teachers and correct the issue although it will take time to be fully addressed considering the shortages.
It is one of the mandates that the ministry has given us to develop indigenous languages.
That is why one of the key policies that we came up with as Government, through the ministry is to make sure that children who are at the infant level should be taught in their mother tongue or in the language which is common in their locality, especially in places like metropolitan cities where you have diverse cultures in one classroom.
</blockquote>
Thabela said it will, however, take time to remove all teachers who do not speak languages spoken in that particular community due to a shortage of teachers trained in the indigenous languages.
She said the policy of teaching infants in their mother language was adopted faster than the teacher capacitation programmes.
Thabela said institutions of higher learning such as Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic, Seke Teachers’ College, Midlands State University, and Great Zimbabwe University are training teachers in the indigenous languages.| <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/government-enforces-teachers-deployment-policy/">Chronicle</a>

Govt Says It Will Enforce Teacher Deployment Policy

The <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Ministry_of_Primary_and_Secondary_Education" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education</a> has not cancelled O’ and A’ Level examinations for both June and November 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
This was said by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Tumisang Thabela who added that parents can use online platforms to submit registration data and send proof of payment. She said:
<blockquote>We urge parents to continue paying their children’s examination fees if they have not yet done so. The <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zimbabwe_School_Examinations_Council" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council</a> has opened up many channels through which parents can pay this time around so they should use them.
Parents can use online platforms for the submission of registration data and proof of payment and send to finance@zimsec.co.zw.</blockquote>
Thabela’s remarks follow social media claims that ZIMSEC has cancelled this year’s public exams after the school term was cut short by the COVI-19 outbreak.
Schools were closed before the scheduled dates and the government has not yet announced dates for the commencement of the second term.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/zimsec-exams-not-cancelled/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Herald</a></h4>

ZIMSEC Establishes Registration Portal

The Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education, Mrs Tumisang Thabela revealed government concern  over the zero pass rates recorded by 250 primary schools in national examinations last year.
She said the Office of President and Cabinet and the Public Service Commission are concerned by the pass rates. Thabela also revealed that measures to rectify the issue. She said:
<blockquote>The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the OPC and PSC are concerned about low standards in infrastructure and general teaching and learning levels in satellite schools which seem to precipitate zero percent pass rates.
At Grade 7, 68 primary schools recorded zero percent pass rate in 2018 while at ‘O’ level, 194 schools had zero percent pass rate.</blockquote>
Thabela indicated that low pass rates could be attributed to the absence of the continuous assessment component, low infrastructure, general teaching standards and learning levels. She said:
<blockquote>You will notice that this was the first examination for our competence-based curriculum. ‘O’ Level pass rate was 32,6 percent, while ‘A’ Level was 84,7 percent. Pass rate at Grade 7 was 53,42 percent.
My ministry and ZIMSEC are working tirelessly to have the continuous assessment framework in place as soon as possible.</blockquote>
Zimbabwe’s literacy rate at 94 percent is the highest in Africa.
<h3>Related:</h3>
<ul>
<li class="entry-title">
<h4><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/01/25/29-primary-schools-in-matabeleland-north-province-record-zero-percent-pass-rate/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">29 Primary Schools In Matabeleland North Province Record Zero Percent Pass Rate</a></h4>
</li>
</ul>
More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/govt-worried-about-0-pass-rates/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Herald</a>

Zero Pass Rates Attributed To Teaching And Infrastructure Standards

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education said it takes into consideration the language of instruction, especially the mother tongue spoken by the learners when deploying teachers at infant level.
Speaking during a Press briefing Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education Mrs Tumisang Thabela said apologised to people in Bulawayo over the deployment of teachers that are not proficient in the region’s local languages. She said measures are being taken to rectify the issue. Said Thabela:
<blockquote>In line with the ministry’s policy, the deployment of teachers at infant level takes into consideration the language of instruction, especially the mother tongue spoken by the learners themselves. For this reason, measures are being taken to rectify the deployment mismatch that was noted so that the rights of learners as enshrined in the Constitution are safeguarded. The ministry takes note of the concerns raised particularly by Bulawayo Province with regards to mismatch in the deployment of teachers at infant level. It is a result of some glitches in the e-recruitment process and due attention is being given to this issue by the ministry. The ministry would like to apologise to the nation, the affected communities and recruited teachers for any inconveniences caused as the ministry goes through e-recruitment for the first time in order to improve efficiency and subsequently root out possible corruption in the recruitment process.</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/govt-clarifies-byo-deployment/">Herald</a>

Tumisang Thabela Latest News

Latest Jobs