The Sunday Mail
Ityai Frank Kurebwa and Thomas Gatsi —
There is a need for mind-set change if the psychomotor domain is to successfully benefit the nation of Zimbabwe.
A mindset is one’s beliefs on what is right or wrong, beneficial or unbeneficial, important or not important. These beliefs are normally bound by the world view of a particular community, society or even tribe and race. For example, if the world view of the community is that a mini skirt means a wayward character that community’s mindset may bring out mockery and in worst cases even the undressing of a mini skirted lady seen on the street.
From our interaction with the public and even with colleagues in education, the world view is that psychomotor means practical education such as building, carpentry, sport, music, agriculture, etc. Zimbabweans, and especially parents, do not seem to like anything to do with practical subjects due to the F1 and F2 education system that was introduced to the Africans by the Ian Smith regime in 1972.
For the benefit of those who are not aware of this system of education either because they were born later or that they just did not know what was going on, here is a brief explanation.
Faced with the unprecedented increase in the numbers of secondary school seekers in 1970 due to two sets of primary school graduates, the Standard 6’s and the new Grade 7’s, the colonial government suddenly realised how limited the number secondary schools was.
In 1970 only division 1 graduates could find places in the good schools which were mostly boarding schools, the bulk of the remaining pupils joined make-shift secondary schools called “removed classes” with mainly afternoon classes at either established secondary schools or primary schools. A commission was set up to look into this issue and a recommendation was made that special schools focussing on technical and vocational learning be set for the black population.
The anomaly was that these F2 schools be reserved for those students who would have scored a division 3 or 4 at Grade Seven whilst the F1 schools, which were mainly academic, was reserved for the presumed high achievers with division 1 and 2.
There you are Zimbabwe, the world view became that if one got enrolled in an F2 school one could be labelled an academic struggler (or dofo in Shona). There is, therefore, a generally negative attitude towards practical subjects and people who do them are considered to be inferior to those who pursue academic subjects and are destined for white collar or “superior” professions or jobs.
With the above mindset, our post-independent government hastened to get rid of the evil discriminatory system of the two systems of secondary education and could not afford to sustain the techno-vocational components of the former F2 schools though these skills were certainly necessary for all students. These skills are very necessary for life in general and for creating livelihoods for our youths today.
Did you know that an A-Level student of today does not know what a flat or star screw driver is, neither can they change a blown fuse on an electric plug? Go check with your child, nephew, nice or a friendly neighbour’s child.
Let me put your mind at rest by making you aware of the fact that psychomotor activities does not refer to practical subjects only put simply entails learning by doing in all subjects of the curriculum. A recap from last our four stages of psychomotor learning, are, observation/understanding, imitation, practice and adaption/application.
The onus is now on the curriculum, syllabi, teachers, parents and students to embrace that everything learnt at school, college or university is best done the psychomotor way because one learns better by doing than by hearing and seeing.
How then do we change the mindset of the populace to accept this 21st century approach to learning and training?
It is a known fact that the first thing that faces any change is resistance and this is expected as part of human nature. There are so many people who are so knowledgeable but may not realise that their so-called knowledge is now obsolete. The idea of maintaining a status quo under the believed high standards motto have left most of our institutions of high learning offering programmes that are of no value and use to the nation and the learners. Do we then set up commissions of enquiry to establish the way forward?
The truth of the matter is that a Commission of Enquiry on Education and Training set up by President Mugabe in 1998 and chaired by Dr Caiphus Nziramasanga came up with stunning revelations in 1999. The major revelation was that our education and training needs did not meet the demands of the nation and that there was need to go techno/vocational and entrepreneurial in our education and training.
Taking recommendations of 15 years ago wholesale would be folly as things have changed along the way and thus going the psychomotor way would cover not only the practical subjects but all education and training in the country.
In the independent Zimbabwe it took us 20 years to start a land revolution and another 10 years for the economy revolution, education thus needs a revolution now. Whatever curriculum that it is devised for all levels of learning should be scrutinised to ensure that it infuses psychomotor learning and I believe that is why the President set up a department in his office. It is high time that curriculum at every level be reviewed in order to meet the demands of the new order. It would a pity for institutions and powers-that-be to wait for directives in order to change their “modus operandi”.
Schools should start being proactive by reactivating practical subjects in their schools. Re-training of teachers and lecturers in order to re-orient them in line with requirements for the psychomotor domain learning and training is also a major necessity. In short, Zimbabwe brace up, the psychomotor revolution is here.