Source: 90pc of teachers trained for new curriculum | The Sunday Mail
Mr Ndoro Violet Chenyika and Belindah Chikandiwa
MORE than 90 percent of teachers have undergone intensive training to implement the new heritage-based curriculum (HBC), which was introduced at the beginning of the year.
This comes as the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has made a request to recruit 8 000 additional teachers to support the smooth rollout of the new curriculum and help reduce the teacher-learner ratio in public schools.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, director of communications and advocacy in the ministry Mr Taungana Ndoro said the request for additional educators had been submitted to the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, which is responsible for recruitment.
“The recruitment of 8 000 teachers for the new curriculum in 2025 is in progress. We have made a submission to the Ministry of Labour and expect them to respond soon,” he said.
The new teachers, he said, will be deployed countrywide to ensure that class sizes remained manageable, with no more than 30 learners.
He said training for implementation of HBC, which was being conducted in clusters to allow teachers from different schools to gather at central locations for workshops, was progressing well.
“There are some teachers who are so progressive that even before we started making noise about implementation of the heritage-based curriculum, they had already read and went through the curriculum blueprint,” added Mr Ndoro.
“Most of the teachers — around 90 percent — have already schemed their work in the heritage-based curriculum.”
The revised curriculum seeks to equip learners with skills, values and attitudes essential for life and work by integrating a strong scientific and technological focus, aligning with the Government’s skills development strategy.
The ongoing mandatory training programme is designed to help teachers interpret the new syllabus.
HBC builds on the previous competency-based system.
“The heritage-based curriculum is taking root and we are happy with the progress so far,” he said. “It doesn’t change everything from the previous curriculum, but enhances it.
“The previous curriculum focused mainly on competencies, but this one aligns education with patriotism and cultural identity.”
Learners are already engaging in school-based projects under the new curriculum.
“The implementation is in full swing. As we speak, students are actively working on school-based projects aligned with the heritage-based curriculum,” said Mr Ndoro.
Key elements of HBC include a shift from continuous assessment learning activities (CALAs) to school-based projects (SBPs) for all classes, streamlining primary school learning areas to avoid curriculum overload.
It also emphasises six core areas — Indigenous Languages; English Language; Science and Technology; Mathematics; Social Science; and Physical Education and Arts.
At the secondary school level, the curriculum introduces a two-route system to accommodate diverse learner aspirations.
The academic route targets learners aiming for higher education, while the vocational route focuses on practical skills for trades and vocational careers.
Ordinary Level learners will now do five compulsory subjects, with an option to add three more; while those at the Advanced Level will take three subjects aligned with their career paths.
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