By Staff Writer
A civil rights pressure group, Our Zimbabwe will stage a protest against Zimbabwe’s new curriculum to be suspended forthwith as it has caused untold suffering and unnecessary expenses for students
An invitation sent out Monday reads,”Come and join our march and sign the petition to the Education Ministry and Parliament to suspend the out of context New Curriculum , Venue Robert Mugabe Square, Date April 13 2022, Time 09:00hrs.
Several stakeholders have criticized the new curriculum for awarding undeserving marks for coursework which is being done for learners at a paid fee.
The new developments have also left the majority of learners in the rural schools sidelined as they cannot afford the relevant textbooks.
Introduced in 2017, the new curriculum made more practical subjects compulsory with subjects like physical education and mass display.
This new subject includes sports, parade formations and gymnastics, and it will be given the same priority as mathematics and English in Zimbabwe’s new curriculum. Some students praise the new classes, but many educators have lambasted the ministry for failing to train teachers and provide materials such as syllabi.
The new, nationwide curriculum, implemented by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, also lengthened the school day for primary- and secondary-school students. Students in first through fifth grades, who used to go to school from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., now stay until 4 p.m., as do older students.
In addition to their previous courses, students from preschool to second grade will also study a variety of languages, heritage and information-technology skills. For junior and senior level students, the new curriculum now includes materials on life skills, children’s rights, disaster preparedness, agriculture, religion and morality, human sexuality, woodwork and environmental issues.
