Source: Mandarin, Swahili in new curriculum | The Herald June 1, 2016
Melody Mashaire Herald Reporter
GOVERNMENT plans to introduce Chinese, Swahili, Portuguese and French in the new primary and secondary education curriculum.
Addressing delegates at a Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education stakeholders meeting, Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora said the new curriculum was at the initial stage as it was being prepared and piloted this year.
“The ministry is going to introduce foreign languages in the new curriculum which include French, Swahili, Chinese and Portuguese in schools.
“Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education undertook a process of updating the Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training (CIET) recommendations in the context of a curriculum review process beginning October 2014.
“The Ministry then developed a Zero Draft Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education to guide learning and teaching during the next seven years from 2015 to 2022. The New Curriculum Framework was approved by Cabinet on 22 September, 2015,” he said.
Dr Dokora said; “Learning areas for junior school, from Grade Three to Grade Seven, include languages, foreign Mathematics, heritage and life-skills orientation programme (LOP) — social studies, science and technology, agriculture, information and communication technology, visual and performing arts, family, religion and moral education (FAREME) and physical education, sport and mass displays,” he said.
Dr Dokora said the Government was engaged in resource mobilisation to implement the new curriculum.
“The Government calls for joint effort in mobilising resources. Such resources will be required for teacher capacity development, research and development, ICT, infrastructure development among others.
“Some of these resources will go towards the production of learning and teaching materials that address the needs of the new curriculum. It is, however, important that we understand the trajectory of the new curriculum,” he said.
He said the vision and mission of the ministry was to be the lead provider, facilitator of inclusive, quality education for socio-economic transformation by 2020 and to provide equitable, quality, inclusive, relevant and competence-driven infant, junior, secondary and non-formal education.
“The Curriculum Framework is driven by aims that include promoting and cherishing the Zimbabwean identity, preparing learners for life and work in a largely agro-based economy and an increasingly globalised and competitive environment, to foster life-long learning in line with the opportunities and challenges of the knowledge society.
“Preparing learners for participatory citizenship, peace and sustainable development.
“Preparing and orienting learners for participation, leadership and voluntary service,” he said.
Dr Dokora said the curriculum helped children in critical thinking, problem solving, among others.
“The Curriculum Framework prepares graduates of the education system to have exit profiles like critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, technological skills, communication and team building,” he said.
COMMENTS
How about introducing something useful, like ECONOMICS?
You want to introduce foreign languages but failing to introduce vernecular languages such as ndebele , suthu for the natinal bulding langusges
Just wondering if the chinese are also teaching shona in their schools. This is just another form of colonialism by the chinese
The minister first needs to improve the pass rates of children for the existing subjects before expanding the curriculum. Less than 40% of ordinary level students got a pass mark in 2015 to proceed to advanced level. Tackle that first.