The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
THE ongoing exercise to review the schools’ curriculum Continuous Assessment Learning Activities (CALA) programme is geared towards equipping learners with skills that are relevant to the 21st century jobs market and enable them to be creators of employment.
This was said by Primary and Secondary Education Permanent Secretary Mrs Tumisang Thabela during a recent media engagement workshop.
She said the review also seeks to develop strategies that facilitate continuation of learning when natural disasters strike.
In recent years, Zimbabwe was affected by disasters such as Cyclone Idai and the Covid-19 pandemic, which impacted learning in schools.
“In 2015, the ministry introduced the competence-based curriculum for primary and secondary education,” she said.
“This curriculum is now being reviewed after it ended its seven-year cycle in 2022.
“The review is to ensure the curriculum remains relevant to the needs of the 21st century learner and the aspirations of the country.”
Mrs Thabela said the review will address new socio-economic realities that have emerged since the curriculum was first introduced in 2015.
“First, and more importantly, the country has taken a new development trajectory through Vision 2030, which is to be realised through the implementation of the National Development Strategy 1.
“With education expected to contribute towards human capital development and innovation, it is imperative that the curriculum is configured to fulfil this goal,” she added.
“Our curriculum must be positioned to provide a sustainable base for the production of critical and skilled individuals.”
The review, said Mrs Thabela, will also consider strategies to facilitate learning during emergencies.
“The country has been hit by emergencies that have disrupted learning and have had far-reaching consequences on education delivery,” she said.
“While Cyclone Idai destroyed several schools in Manicaland and Masvingo, leading to school closures, the mother of all emergencies, Covid-19, has shown us that the traditional way of delivering lessons, that is face-to-face, is not always reliable.”
She said novel teaching innovations and learning techniques must be onboarded to ensure learning does not stop in times of disasters.
“There are issues such as climate change, the transforming education agenda and science, technology and innovation, among others, which also need to be taken into consideration as we commit ourselves to transform our education,” she said.
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council research manager Mr Francis Chirume said the reviewed CALA model will harness learners’ skills in class and extracurricular activities.
“Gone are the days when we used to assess for competition,” he said.
“We don’t want to assess for competition, but we want to find out what learners are able to do and what they are not able to do.
“We assess so that we can tap into the talent of our learners.”
