AS a nation with a learning-hungry population, prioritising education policy is paramount.
During the election campaigns, I made a strong case for the scrapping of the Continuous Assessment Learning Activities (CALA)
I see this week government finally scrapped the CALA amid escalating pressure from learners and parents, replacing it with a heritage-based education curriculum.
It is without doubt that the CALA system, is an experiment that failed. It had unfairly jeopardised a generation.
Our education policies and any policy for that matter, must undergo rigorous testing before implementation; our future is at stake. In the past, education policies have run into implementation headwinds due to the absence of public consultation.
Like its predecessor CALA, the heritage-based curriculum will fail on the basis that it is a command curriculum — a product of zero consultation and has been foisted on learners.
Citizenocracy is the way to go. Citizens must be at the centre of policy development and implementation.
More public participation and stakeholder involvement in decision and policymaking.
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We must construct policies through consultation and collaboration with global education experts, educators, school development bodies, industry, business stakeholders, and those with parental responsibilities.
More public participation and stakeholder involvement in policymaking is essential.
Developing policies from the top down without consulting adequately with stakeholders is catastrophic.
Public consultation in policymaking boosts stakeholder and citizen buy-in, improves transparency, increases efficiency and effectiveness of policies and regulations.
These policies must be forward-thinking, considering both global and local development needs and trends. Education should be demand-driven, equipping our youth with future-ready skills.
We must focus on and see future opportunities and effectively and efficaciously cater for the demands of the future. We can change our future only if we think differently. Market research is fundamental.
Human capital is the most underrated yet so vital an asset. Great nations invest heavily and strategically in education anchored on comprehensive market research.
On account of this, a well funded education system that is sensitive and responsive to the needs and requirements of pupils, parents and teachers is fundamental.
Our aim is to turn Zimbabwe into a business hub, tech hub and education hub of the world. To achieve this we must take bold steps and make revolutionary moves.
In a new great Zimbabwe, we will turn things around and become a superpower in the next three decades. For the next 10 years we have three key revolutions blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI) and biotech.
The rapid speed at which these technologies — AI, quantum computing, the metaverse and others — are evolving will be a pressing question, especially as we try to grapple with the challenges relative to this constant evolution
We must be ready to use emerging technologies and AI to govern better, making government systems trustworthy, inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Nothing can be made right in bits and pieces. We need a major game-changing and unheard of type of reforms wholly and totally.
We need to restructure the education system. The system is teaching a lot of wrong lessons.
We must focus on entrepreneurship not just creating employees. We must teach leadership and citizenship from kindergarten right up to tertiary level.
Our education system is designed to prepare labourers and workers. We must produce employers and entrepreneurs more.
We must teach that mastering a skill is more valuable than memorising a subject. The education curriculum must intentionally balance between academic and vocational education.
