The Sunday Mail
Dr Caiphas Nziramasanga
The first two articles on the synopsis of the Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training Report (1998/ 9) examined the general findings and conclusions of the commission’s report on the broad issues, and the proposed education structure and curriculum.
Despite the editorial changes brought about in the articles, readers should have perceptions of the gist of the report.
In this third and final article, the synopsis deals with the professional training and higher education findings, conclusions and recommendations from the report.
As per its terms of reference, the commission investigated the teaching profession in Zimbabwe, the nature of qualifications offered by conventional and private colleges and those in universities’ post-graduate programmes since Independence.
The commission examined the types and levels of qualifications, the recruitment strategies, probation measures, retirement age, conditions of service and the teachers’ grading system.
On the teacher training programme, it was pointed out by principals then, that there seemed to be no prescribed Teacher Education curriculum except what they described as guidelines from the University of Zimbabwe’s Department of Teacher Education.
Each college, they asserted, drafted its own curriculum resulting in some school subjects being left out.
On the teaching practice scheme, lecturers and school heads seemed to differ on the methods used to deploy students in schools and the allocation of teaching subjects as some student teachers were assigned to teach subjects they were not good at. It was argued that the then two Ministries of Education had not co-ordinated their policies on such technicalities.
Teaching Profession
Extensive data was submitted on this issue, especially on the lack of professionalism of many teachers either at work or out of school. Parents expressed vehement protestations about what they considered “errant behaviour” of teachers. It was noted that the teaching profession had lost the “model role” it had enjoyed for long in the country.
Sights of improperly dressed, drunken and undignified teachers were common. Parents then complained of the abuse of the girl-child by teachers, and quoted several court cases and convictions of teachers and school heads. The public believed that disciplinary measures available then were inefficient and at some stage protective of the culprits.
The public believed then that there were serious shortcomings in the selection process of who should be a teacher since there was over-emphasis on academic qualifications only, ie high examination grades without reference to character and professional desire. Parents throughout the country recommended that selection of teacher trainees should consider personal and ethical dimensions.
On in-service, many lecturers and teachers expressed the desire to have more in-service training sessions on the various and varied information and communication skills, new functions and roles that result from promotions to higher posts. They proposed, for instance, establishment of in-service and induction programmes for newly promoted school heads, district education officers, education officers and/or provincial directors.
Teachers and education officials argued for the setting up of the the Teaching Profession Council and the Teaching Service Commission.
This was to specifically raise the teaching profession like was done to the medical, law and engineering professions.
The report highlights many more concerns by teachers, learners and parents about the teaching profession such as supervision and assessment, performance-related salaries, and their placement under the Public Service Commission.
Recommendations
The commission report provides recommendations on improving the image, status and conditions of service for all levels of teaching personnel.
The commission’s terms of reference (2.1.3) required commissioners to inquire into education and training and “recommend strategies that relate the education system to employment in private and public sectors and that impart education for life and self-employment”.
After examining the then current situation, and after gathering date on higher and tertiary education, commissioners noted that: The law of the country then allocated all the skills training and development to the then Ministry of Higher Education and Technology with no direct link to the skills development earned in the primary and secondary education.
The commission noted that the gap was so wide that those with skills from the secondary schools were considered to be almost unskilled despite the fact that they studied and developed skills for four academic years.
Students, teachers, parents and employers disliked that policy as it excluded the secondary school graduates from potential employment opportunities.
Respondents welcomed the policy of setting up a State university in each province and at the same time allowing establishment of private universities. Wide-ranging findings on the universities’ education, administration, staff, personnel’s conditions of employment and the national standards for higher education dominated the debates.
The curriculum in our universities was extensively compared to that of the UK, France, Germany, the US, South Africa, Botswana, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Holland, Uruguay, Sweden, Cuba, Kenya and Malaysia.
From many of these countries, the commission noted that skills were linked to skills in secondary education while ours and that of UK were not. It was also noted that ICT needed to be urgently introduced in our universities.
The commission commented on other issues such as access, research, quality assurance, standards of education from one local university to the other, and the quality of the provisions of the then National Council for Higher Education.
The findings on higher education are an exciting study for the public.
The commission made more than 24 recommendations which the then Cabinet accepted.
More significant is that the then National Council for Higher Education Act be revamped and strengthened in order to ensure “national standards” and national qualifications standardisation.
One of the key recommendations for the National Council for Higher Education was for it to set up a Quality Assurance Committee tasked with overall quality assurance frameworks for the entire education system of the nation especially a Qualifications Framework. Suffice to note that the Zimbabwe Council of Higher Education has been established already providing those recommended services.
The CIET also made recommendations on funding higher and tertiary education such as universities being granted permits to set up their own industries or incubators as part of skills development and income generation. It is encouraging to observe that some steps in this area are taken by some universities though still small in scope.
Accreditation, Evaluation and Quality Assurance
In response to the terms of reference (1.1) the CIET studied the whole system of education placing emphasis on the accreditation policies, evaluation practices and strategies for quality assurance which were in place.
This was necessary because of the existence of many types of schools and institutions, all claiming to offer certificates, diplomas and some unclassified qualifications.
The commission further studied the examination models used in the country for various aspects of education such as vocational training in polytechnics, Government centres and other private institutions.
The commission further studied how education institutions were accredited and what criteria were used by the then National Council of Higher Education and others by the National Manpower Advisory Council, Higher Education Examination Council and the National Qualification Framework.
Findings
On the issue of accreditation of the primary schools and pre-schools, the respondents considered the practice in place needed to change.
On quality of primary education, parents felt that the standards were deteriorating as learners were not learning and developing problem-solving skills, reading skills and application of attained knowledge.
They contended that this is due to the school system which was examination-oriented.
On primary and secondary school levels, it was noted that the Grade 7 and Form 2 examinations were unnecessary as they added no value to the attainment of students.
There was also a call for attaching Zimsec to a university for ensuring security and quality of examinations and their results.
Parents and industrialists argued that the results of all examinations at all levels were unrelated to the employment needs as learners were ignorant of the world of work.
Accreditation at University Levels
Observations were made that some local universities did not recognise courses and credits earned at some universities in Zimbabwe when all universities were set up under the same Act though with different charters.
Studies from some international universities showed that there was a central accreditation system which set up national guidelines for determining the quality of degrees from each institution and that those guidelines enabled courses and qualifications from all national universities recognised and transferable to other institutions.
It was further noted that there were no legal links established between universities and industry as was learnt in Germany, Australia and Holland.
The chapter on the issues of accreditation, evaluation and quality assurance records plenty findings which need careful analysis and responses by the education planners.
More than 19 major recommendations are put forward on examinations, accreditation, and quality assurance measures.
For instance, recommendation 6.6 calling for a cheaper and simpler strategy for funding examinations has not been seriously re-looked at for better and cheaper management of examinations in this country.
Finally, the CIET Report gives a summary on proposed strategies for improving access to adult and lifelong education.
To get a complete picture of the report, one needs to read it through and then study the recommendations matrix summary after Page 556.
It is hoped that those interested in education development for their children will study the report and push for its implementation.
