Luckson Pasipanodya an author, freelance journalist, teacher, and labour advocate from Bulawayo, has written a new curriculum-based Advanced Level textbook for Family and Religious Studies.
Pasipanodya has been part of the new curriculum from its inception, implementation, and review. He has equally contributed to the literary world touching on diverse themes. Standard Style reporter Khumbulani Muleya (KM) caught up with Luckson Pasipanodya (LP. below are excerpts from the interview.
KM: Who is Luckson Pasipanodya?
LP: A distinct voice calling from the academic terrains of Zimbabwe, characterised by indubitable patriotism. I partake in the development of learning and teaching materials that are relevant to the reviewed curriculum that was implemented by the Primary and Secondary Education ministry. I am a certified amalgamation of diverse skills from many academic citadels that cut across different fields of profound study including journalism, labour law, teaching, psychology, and human resources management. I found myself teaching divinity and sociology at one time and producing excellent results before expanding my academic space over a plethora of courses.
KM: Where were you born?
LP: In the topographies of Midlands province, Mberengwa to be precise, my passion for literature ignited the spark that gave birth to this immense literary enthusiast that I have become. Exposure to both the metropolitan borough and bucolic life has created the author that I am. In short, I am an author whose literary signature is sought by established and upcoming writers to cast a sharp analytic eye into their writings and edit them.
KM: What motivated you to write an Advanced Level Textbook?
LP: Doses of passion, experience, love, and dedication to the scripting craft drove me to author this comprehensive textbook. I have had an uncontrollable passion for contributing to the academic field for a long time. A decade back, I wrote an Advanced Level textbook for Divinity which was affected by the introduction of the new curriculum in 2015. I then suspended publishing that edition to immerse myself into the new Family and Religious Studies. I taught the subject and the syllabus immersion and baptism were motivation enough to write A Comprehensive Guide to Advanced Level Family Studies. Among other subjects Divinity (Family and Religious Studies) was among my best subjects such that at Ordinary and A Level as soon as the teacher left class, I would imitate them and would eventually receive the punishment that resonated with imitating respectable elders.
Again, my motivation for writing the textbook stemmed from a desire to fill gaps in existing educational materials, providing clarity on complex subjects and offering innovative teaching methods. I was driven by personal experiences in education, a passion for teaching, and a commitment to improving educational standards in specific contexts and creating a textbook that would meet the needs of both educators and learners.
KM: Briefly describe your writing journey to date.
LP: I got married to writing while at primary school and winning in the Colgate competitions became part of my lifestyle. I used to post news on the school notice board in secondary school and that has become part of who I am today. My journey typically involves meticulous research, collaboration with peers, and a focus on addressing key societal challenges through writing. I find the process rewarding, though it can be challenging, as it involves balancing academic consistency with accessibility for learners. Over the years, I have been churning out articles on many subjects in the media.
I have written other books which include, The Real You: Igniting the Discovery Potential Within (motivational), I Am A Graduate Too (novel), Echoes of Resonance (poetry anthology), 50 Principles of Running Your Race (motivational) and Principles of School-Parental Consultations (textbook for schools leaders/committee and parents). The Family and Religious Studies is an addition to the solo stable of literary works. In addition, I have written, as a member of Royal Writers Inc., Galaxy of Poetic Voices (poetry anthology), Veins of Generational Echoes (poetry anthology), and Trumpets of Posterity (stories anthology).
I have contributed to a local literary initiative Gourd of Consciousness Poetry in their national poetry writing competition and came out second with my poem, The Impious Idol. Thirty-six submissions were made in this competition. This feat has given me membership in the Gourd of Consciousness Poetry platform. I have written articles in the media and coached a total of seventy-three university and college students on dissertation writing. I have edited many books.
KM: Given such a background, surely writing in you refuses to be silenced.
LP: I have tried to run away from writing but like the Biblical Jonah, it caught up with me with force in the literary Tarshish and brought me back to discipline in the Nineveh of writing.
KM: How did you start writing?
LP: I began with a focus on short stories and essays, often drawing from personal experiences and observations of societal challenges. Over the years, I have developed a unique voice that combines elements of traditional and contemporary literary narratives. Through my writings, I aim to engage readers in diverse thematic conversations. To this end, my writing journey has been characterised by persistence, research, reading, self-discovery, and leveraging literature as a means to inspire change and tolerance within local and global contexts.
KM: How did you combine the diverse skills you have in writing the book?
LP: The skills that I possess have been used differently. Having worked in the field of education, the multitasking component has helped me target my audience with precision. Theme selection and content development became a stroll in the park though not as easy as vowel pronunciation. I managed to create a well-structured book that covers the syllabus for Advanced Level Family and Religious Studies.
KM: Please share a bit about the publishing process.
LP: I did not have a problem with pitching up relevant content, typesetting, editing, and determination of relevancy by way of proofreading although I then included others to do it. This then has helped me in the production of a quality book that will guide learners to do well in the learning area, if they read seriously. The amalgamation of these skills from a diverse terrain of studies has helped me in the development of this rich and insightful textbook that not only educates but inspires the mainstay of advanced-level investigation, critical analysis, and judgement.
KM: How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life?
LP: This lies in my ability to plan. Planning is essential for balance and without it, there is no balance and production. Either way, it gets complicated but I have managed to strike a balance in writing and doing other things as and when they are to be done.
KM: Who else was involved in the production of the book?
LP: First and foremost, I involved myself in syllabus interpretation and pitching up the book to be what it has become. However, when writing books for academic purposes, being alone may not do justice to the quality that one would envisage so I involved educators, learners, and other authors to get a product that is relevant in our national context. I have also researched from a host of authors whom I have acknowledged in the book. Of course, the cover designer and publisher were equally involved in coming up with the book. The editing was awesome. My family was equally involved in the writing of the book especially when my wife was asking about the relevancy of the content to learners as a teacher. I would find myself perfecting it again and again.
*Read full interview on www.thestandard.co.zw