European Journal of Social Sciences Studies

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies
ISSN: 2501-8590
ISSN-L: 2501-8590
Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/soc
doi: 10.5281/zenodo.2605499 Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019
ISSUES SURROUNDING THE UPDATED

SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM
IN ZIMBABWE
Gondo Reniko1i,
Maturure Kennedy J.2,
Mutopa Sevious3,
Tokwe Tapiwa4,
Chirefu Harison5,
Nyevedzanayi Mary6
Okavango Research Institute,
1
University of Botswana, Bag 285,

Maun, Botswana
2Mashonaland East Provincial Office,
Box 752, Marondera, Zimbabwe

3,6Chinhoyi High School,
Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe

4St. Stanislaus Secondary School,
Box 1167, Masvingo, Zimbabwe

5Mushandike High School,
Bag 1344, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
Abstract:
In 1999, the Nziramasanga Commission of inquiry into the Zimbabwean education
system was tasked to look into the issues surrounding the education system. While the
commission came up with recommendations, however, political and economic
challenges could not allow such transformations. Thus, this paper discusses concerns
surrounding the updated school curriculum in Zimbabwe. This is based on the feeling
that the education system must be characterized by dramatic technological revolution
that has a strong bearing on the curriculum. Guided by the foundational curriculum
theory, the paper argues that education is a tool geared to reform society and creates
change for the better. Hence, authentic education in Zimbabwe addresses the whole
person and does not limit professional development and curriculum design to
workplace readiness. To this end, there is every need to review the status quo of
secondary school curriculum in Zimbabwe in order to consolidate further the new basic
education programme and to ensure the actualization of the Ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education policy in the area of human capital development. Finally, the
Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.

© 2015 – 2019 Open Access Publishing Group 59
Gondo Reniko, Maturure Kennedy J., Mutopa Sevious, Tokwe Tapiwa, Chirefu Harison, Nyevedzanayi Mary
ISSUES SURROUNDING THE UPDATED SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM IN ZIMBABWE
paper recommends massive advocacy and sensitization of heads, teachers, students,

district inspectors, parents and the entire regional and provincial supervisory team who
are the end users of the updated curriculum for effective implementation.
Keywords: human capital, implementation, Nziramasanga commission, society

updated curriculum, Zimbabwe
1. Introduction
The history of Zimbabwe runs parallel to her education system. This is because of the
realisation by the early nationalists that the country could not develop without a proper
grounding in a national education system that can guarantee the production of the
desired high quality workforce. In line with the government’s Nziramasanga
Commission (1999), the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education was mandated to
review the secondary and primary education programmes to meet the targets of
education in the context of Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic
Transformation (ZimAsset) which is a national obligations of the government of
Zimbabwe. In light of this, curriculum implementation in Zimbabwe has been
attributed to many factors including funding, obsolete educational facilities, high
turnover and inadequate qualified teachers among others. It is against this background
that this paper examines the issues of effective implementation of a national curriculum
(NC) in Zimbabwe with a view to proffering far reaching solutions in view of the new
political dispensation obtaining in Zimbabwe.
2. Curriculum and implementation
School curriculum is all about experiences required of a learner for all round
development (Ahmad & Lukman, 2015; Lopes, 2016). It is a particular form of
specification about the practice of teaching and learning and is not a package of
materials or syllabi on issues to be covered rather it is a way of translating an
educational idea into hypothesis testable in practice (Esau & Mpofu 2017; Jansen, 1991).
Furthermore, curriculum is a specification about the practice of teaching which involves
pragmatic efficacy of the learners’ experiences. Experience as a general concept
comprises knowledge of or skills of something or some events gained through
involvement in or exposure to that event. In light of this, curriculum is an important
element of education in which overall objectives of education depend largely on the
nature of the curriculum. Curriculum development experts have argued that
curriculum making either at the level of development, design, implementation or
reformation needs the inputs of critical stakeholders if it is to be relevant, meaningful
and adequate to meet the needs of the people for whom it has been put together. In this
view, Dewey (1938) contends that education is a social construct which is a part of
society and should reflect the community’s desires. In Zimbabwe, for instance,
secondary school curriculum is designed to encourage all learners to achieve their
European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 60

spiritual, unhu/ubuntu, intellectual and social potential as well as to understand the

relevance of learning in their daily lives. It is important to note that, it is one thing to
design a curriculum and also another thing to implement it effectively and efficiently.
The objectives of any level of education cannot be achieved if the planned programme
for such level of education is not well planned and implemented. It is observed that no
matter how well a curriculum is planned, designed and documented, proper
implementation is of paramount importance. It could be true that the establishment of
educational institutions in Zimbabwe and in various provinces in particular was in
pursuit of meeting national requirements of producing manpower that were to serve in
different capacities and contribute positively to the nation’s socio-economic and
political development. The key issue is the ways and means on how the school
curriculum of Zimbabwe can reflect the objectives of her educational policy on
education.
To achieve any of the above stated objectives, effective implementation of a well-
planned curriculum cannot be over emphasised. Curriculum implementation (CI) is
putting into practice the officially prescribed course of study, syllabus and subjects
(Chikumbi & Makamure, 2005). Thus, curriculum demands rigorous efforts from end
users for its effective implementation at all levels in order to achieve the desired goals.
Yet Kurasha & Chabaya (2013) view CI as putting the curriculum into work for the
achievement of the goals for which the curriculum was designed. In this conception of
the matter it is the transition of objectives of the curriculum from paper to practice.
Consequently, only effective curriculum implementation ensures achievement of the
objectives for which the curriculum was designed to attain. Base on Ahmadi & Lukman
(2015) and Maba (2017) CI is:
“the process of putting all that have been planned as curriculum document into practice
in the classroom through the combined efforts of teachers, learners, school administrators,
parents as well as interaction with physical facilities, instructional materials,
psychological and social environment.”
The scope of this definition therefore entails that putting curriculum into
operation requires an implementation agent and Ahmadi & Lukman (2015) identify a
teacher as the main agent in the process. CI therefore refers to how the planned,
officially designed course of study is translated by the teacher into syllabus, schemes of
work and lessons plans to be delivered to learners. Accordingly, CI involves
interactions amongst teachers, learners and other stakeholders with the aim of
achieving the objectives of education. In this way, CI therefore involves day to day
activities in which the school management and classroom teachers undertake in the
pursuit of the objectives of a given curriculum. However, literature has shown that
teachers are not often involved during policy formulation even though they are
expected to implement the curriculum (Ahmadi & Lukman, 2015; Clyton & Moses,
2017). A major setback in effective CI is the problem of unqualified teachers especially
specialist teachers in areas like ITC and technical subjects given the fact that such

teachers would not have been consulted in the policy formulation stage. In recent times,
curriculum is designed up to implementation stage without adequate manpower to
translate it into reality
2.1 Theoretical underpinnings

This study is based on functional curriculum theory (FCT) which emphasizes that a
learner should have a wide pool of knowledge and ideas to become a fully participating
member of the global economy (Ahmadi & Lukman, 2015; Harris & Burn 2011). Based
on Priestley (2011), FCT is grounded on the idea that an individual should develop a
sense of pride in being a citizen of a country through a deep understanding of the pride
of one’s country. In this regard, a curriculum has to ensure that the mother tongue and
the general views of one’s country are captured. In consequence, a Zimbabwean
curriculum must have a Zimbabwean world view in which minor and major languages
are taught in schools. It should therefore capture Zimbabwe’s civilization over the ages,
the nature and literature of Africa, past and contemporary African’s plan for its future
in the emerging global community and above all Zimbabwean aspirations. FCT
emphasises the need for access to a variety of people, knowledge, techniques, ideas and
practices (Ahmadi & Lukman, 2015). It also talks about personal development for
contribution to social transformation and interpersonal conduct and self-awareness
among others (Koo, 2002). Based FCT these issues should be pushed simultaneously
from the early stages of learning with their horizons broadcasting in responses to the
level of maturity of the learner. Obanya (2004) construes functional content education as
the situation in which the child is growing and the world he/she is going to live in
should determine the way education is carried out. It is on this basis that this paper
elaborates on how the updated secondary school curriculum in Zimbabwe could be
used to develop individual learner towards increased productivity and improved
quality of life.
3. Methodology
3.1 Study area

Although this study’s main thrust was to solicit the opinions of all stakeholders in
education sector in Zimbabwe, this was impossible owing to budgetary and time
constraints. Therefore, most of the data was collected in Hurungwe district because the
principal investigator was living within the district during the data collection period.
Hurungwe district is one of the 72 districts in Zimbabwe and is located in the Western
part of Zimbabwe. It lies between latitude 1603010011 and longitude 290 30110011 South
and East of the equator respectively. Hurungwe district is divided into 26 wards. Based
on 2012 National Population and Housing Census, Hurungwe district has a population
of 1 501656 of which 747 475 are males and 754 181 are females. The population of
Zimbabwe as a whole is 13 061 239, thus Hurungwe District constitute 11.5 % of the
entire population of Zimbabwe.

Figure 1: Location of Hurungwe District in Zimbabwe

(Source Goggle map)
3.2 Methods
Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in data collection. While some
sources of data collection were primary, (interviews, questionnaires, focused group
discussions), others were secondary (government documents, peer reviewed-published
research articles). Different techniques were used to collect qualitative information and
these included five in-depth key informant interviews and questionnaire surveys. In
addition, a total of two focussed group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with groups
constituting heads and teachers. A questionnaire for heads of schools was designed and
it comprised both structured and open ended questions. Data analysis, which was
mainly content analysis focused mainly on understanding of challenges encountered in
implementation of the new curriculum mainly in Hurungwe districts but some
questionnaires were sent to districts in Masvingo and Mashonaland East in Zimbabwe.
This was done so that at least a national coverage of the issues surrounding the
curriculum implementation would be captured.
3.3 Key tenets of updated curriculum in Zimbabwe

After a process of nationwide consultations, in September 2014 the Ministry of Primary
and Secondary Education (MoPSE) announced the release of a draft education
curriculum, meant to update and introduce major changes in the school system in the
country (GoZ, 2017). With effect from the 10 th of January 2017, the MoPSE started the
implementation of the updated school curriculum guided by the Curriculum
Framework for Primary and Secondary Education (CFPSE) 2015-2022. The updated

curriculum aims to modernise the education system at all the three levels (infant, junior
and secondary) in order to align them with global trends and with modern technologies
(GoZ, 2017). According to the curriculum framework, the MoPSE remains committed to
fulfilling the potential of learners in Zimbabwe. Emphasis on the updated curriculum is
on providing improved access and quality education to every learner that would
subsequently contribute to bringing about meaningful transformation in the lives of
ordinary Zimbabweans. The CFPSE (2015-2022) is anchored on a long term policy
direction to make improvements in the education system. It establishes a clear sequence
of priorities to ensure that the return on investment in education is optimised in terms
of the results that matter most, which are learner outcomes. The updated Curriculum
provides today’s generation with relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes that will drive
the country‘s socio-economic growth and prosperity forward.
3.4 Stages in Curriculum update in Zimbabwe

Updating the school curriculum is a common mechanism that is done regularly in many
progressive countries (Priestley, 2011). Under normal circumstances the curriculum
should be reviewed within 3 to 5 years of its implementation (Kurasha & Chabaya,
2013). It is important to realise that the MoPSE’s efforts to review the curriculum was a
result of numerous factors including: (a) the agrarian reform since 2000, developments
in ICTs, the new Constitution which came into effect in 2013, as well as
recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Education and
Training (1999)- commonly known as the Nziramasanga Commission (NC). NC was set
up in 1998 to look into the issues surrounding the then curriculum in Zimbabwe. The
commission came up with a report in 1999. The report identified six major defects in the
then curriculum. The six issues raised by the commission were: (1) the old curriculum
lacked national values to guide learners (2), it did not praise the virtues of self-reliance,
entrepreneurship and business skills, (3), it offered little to develop the learners’ natural
talents and aptitudes (4) it did not aggressively promote the teaching of Science, Maths,
Technology, Vocational and Technical subjects and indigenous languages, (5), it did not
place adequate premium on Early Childhood Development and non-formal education
and (6), it was examination oriented and summative in nature. Having outlined the key
issues of the previous curriculum, the report recommended the establishment of a
Teaching Professions Council (TPC) to monitor and uphold professionalism in the
education sector in Zimbabwe chiefly, overall curriculum review. Nevertheless,
economic and political challenges overwhelmed the need for a new curriculum. As a
consequence, from 1999 to 2017 the plans were under the pipeline. As time progressed,
need arose and prior to the review the MoPSE began the process of curriculum update.
Figure 2 shows the stages in the review of Zimbabwean secondary education
curriculum.

Preparation stage Nationwide

Consultation
Curriculum Blueprint Narrative Report
Figure 2: Stages in Curriculum update in Zimbabwe 1999-2017

(Source: Developed by the authors)
Figure 2 outlines the stages of curriculum update in Zimbabwe from 1998 up to January
2017 when the implementation was done. The first stage was embarked on soon after
the NC report. The preparation stage had six key issues and these were preparation of a
handbook on curriculum review, designing a questionnaire for data collection,
developing a training manual and setting up a technical working group, which
included key ministries, recruited team leaders and mobilised resources from
government & partners.
Stage one was followed by stage 2 in which a nationwide consultations using the
different platforms from school to national levels were made. Consultation was done
through platforms such as print or electronic media, Mai Chisamba show and other social
gatherings. The targeted stakeholders included universities, colleges, and examination
board among others.
Table 1: Issues and sentiments from nationwide consultations: 1998-2016

1) Promotion of:
 skills for enterprise development indigenous languages
 skills for enterprise development
 teaching of Sciences subjects and ICT
 sport, arts and culture
2) The role of the teacher and the learner to be revisited
3) Need for a robust system of assessment to track learner progress
4) Strengthening Early Childhood Development (ECD)
5) Strengthening monitoring and evaluation
6) Capacity development of teachers
7) School infrastructure development
8) Greater community involvement
The data gathered from consultations were used to compile a narrative report
(stage 3) which formed the basis for drafting a curriculum blueprint (stage 4). Besides
issues from a nationwide consultations, other factors engendered the review of the old
curriculum. While acknowledging the NC recommendations, the curriculum

framework has taken on aboard the human capital, social, political, economic and
technological transformations in the country. While the impact of the land reform and
the need to cultivate a patriotic citizenry enriched the framework, the curriculum had
also to reflect the national efforts as enshrined in the national economic policy, the
Zimbabwe’s home grown constitution and regional and international treaties to which
the country is a signatory. Additionally, the expansion in the capabilities of information
and communication technologies and the emergence of an information-driven economy
underpin the need for the development of new skill to enable citizens to live and work
competitively in the global village.
4. Results and Discussion
Table 1 shows the distribution of respondents based on their gender and age group.
Data reveal that most (78%) of the respondents were males. The dominance of males
was perhaps influenced by the fact that in Zimbabwe men are usually found in rural
schools and women mostly in urban schools. Majority (40%) of the respondents
comprised those within the age range of 33-37 years. Approximately, 30% of them fell
within the age range of 28-32 years, while only 10% and 20% were aged between 38-42
and 43-47 years, respectively. The study revealed that both male and female teachers
were negatively affected by the implementation of the updated curriculum.
Table 1: Demographic profile of respondents

Parameter Frequency Percentage
Gender
Male 39 78
Female 11 22
Total 50 100
Age group
28-32 15 30
33-37 20 40
38-42 5 10
43-47 10 20
Total 100 100
4.1 Stakeholders’ perception on key issues of the curriculum

The study revealed that the respondents felt that there was lack of consultative
engagement with key stakeholders especially, teachers, heads, inspectors, provincial
directors and their deputies before the implementation commenced. A key informant
says “[t]he limited communication militated against a shared vision and a genuine
acceptance of the programme as being “ours” as opposed to “theirs”. This implies that
even though the key informant supported the idea of a new curriculum the general
opinion was that the implementation of the updated curriculum was regarded as not
part of them since there was lack of consultation. Meanwhile, stakeholders felt the
innovation descended upon them from the top and they felt alienated from the whole
discourse over curriculum change. Accordingly, over 78% of the respondents

subscribed to the feeling that the former minister of education rushed to introduce a
new curriculum without having conducted adequate consultation with stakeholders.
One interviewee buttressed this by saying “[i]t is only in 2018 that the Ministry has now
realised the absence of grass roots consultative engagement that it has started a new
communication and advocacy strategy programme”. The aim is to instil a sense of shared
vision and ownership of the transformation initiatives and also to deal with in-house
misunderstanding in curriculum implementation. Even distinguished officials in the
ministry condemned the way the updated curriculum was implemented. A key
informant says: “[t]he dots are not connecting. The ministry has now awakened to the need of
developing a robust communication strategy four years down the line”.
The study also revealed that there were several areas of concern that remained
contentious for instance, continuous assessment, tasks and projects, workload for
teachers, among others. On the issue of tasks and subject one teacher had this to say:
“Imagine a class of 55 learners at primary school, a teacher asks each kid to bring a rim of
bond paper serious 55 rims of bond paper? Primary school kids are too young to be
burdened with such number of books. We succeeded in life but I wrote 3 subjects at grade
7 English, Maths and Shona. I went to secondary and wrote 10 subjects and came out
with all distinctions now am a professional being forced to see my kid being burdened to
write 8 subjects in primary school, that is unfair.”
On account of widespread complaints from stakeholders the government had to

take a stance on the issues raised. Thus, the minister of education officially says:
“We have totally scrapped the issue of tasks, so we are saying we are not going to have
tasks anymore in our schools. These tasks are not part of the syllabus, from my study and
even if one would look at our syllabus, it has no tasks. Above all, the tasks were too much
a burden to both the students and the teachers because if a learner is doing 10 subjects,
they are required to do at least one task per subject meaning its 10 tasks for the 10
subjects per term or simply 30 tasks per year. We are going to compress the curriculum,
especially for lower levels, because the learning areas are too much for them. We need to
combine some of the subjects like Physical Education, Mass displays and Sport.” (The
Sunday Times 4 March 2018)
Buttressing this and applauding the move by the government a key informant
remarked:
“The new curriculum is just the worst idea there. Although it tries to lighten up
education for the kids it is actually doing the opposite of its purpose. for instance take a
pupil doing 13 subjects, that means he has to have 13 projects, and 13 ×5 tasks, at the end
of the day the child is failing to balance all that load, the obvious case is a decline in the
education sector of the country to me it’s actually good news if new curriculum has been
recalled.”

In acknowledging the updated curriculum was a burden to the pupils, the

minister of education pronounces: Some subjects will be combined such that as they do
Physical Education they can also incorporate an aspect of Mass Displays so some of these
subjects will be rolled into one. This reduces the burden on both the teachers and the
learners.
Religious studies had attracted much controversy especially the perceived
compulsory learning of Islamic studies. A key informant commented on the matter as:
“While the issue of Religious studies appears to be a misconception and misreading of the
new curriculum by the general public, a mere mention of Islamism invokes feelings of
fundamentalism associated with Muslims. Parents feel this will send wrong signals to
their children.”
It has emerged from focused group discussions (FGD) that continuous

assessment (CA) has attracted much debate and controversy since the inception of the
NC. The purpose of CA is to determine the learners’ current strengths, needs and
interests and to monitor growth over time as well as to determine how a child solves
problem (Shute & Rahimi, 2017). CA is epitomised by tasks, assignments and projects.
The purpose is to improve validity and reliability of the results of the learner’s
performance on tests and exercises. According to key stakeholders, CA was brought in
without consultation and sufficient guidelines. Based on a key informant, “[t]he way
tasks and projects were executed in 2017 involved a lot of noise from the stakeholders including
learners themselves”. There was confusion as well on who among the ministry of
education and the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) was supposed to
take charge of the CA. On this issue a key informant had this to say “[z]IMSEC took the
lead but the minister is now saying it should be led by the ministry with ZIMSEC only coming
in to standardise. The minister wants teachers to craft the tasks and projects”. Naturally this
brings in confusion among the implementers, a scenario likely to compromise the
learners’ academic standards.
Furthermore, the advent of the new curriculum brought along the introduction
of learning areas platforms formerly known as subject associations. Due to the
introduction of many learning areas, several associations came in large numbers. These
were funded from school coffers to assist teachers in further staff development and
skills sharpening in their respective learning areas. School heads who were custodians
of the school funds belonged to their own associations - National Association of
Secondary School Heads (NASH) which had been in existence before the ushering in of
the new curriculum. A key informant commented “[n]ASH is now complaining bitterly
that learning areas associations are a drain on the meagre school resources yet they are
recognised and encouraged by the Ministry”. Attributable to this, NASH has recommended
the scrapping of the associations. Thus, one parent had this to say “[a] serious clash is
emerging as teachers feel heads want to be protective of school funds so that they squander
money lavishly during their annual NASH conferences”. Another challenge in the NC is that
some church run schools (e.g. Roman Catholic) were not willing to implement the NC,

probably this was for religious reasons as they felt challenged by the introduction of
other religions to be taught alongside their religion.
4.1 Challenges in implementing Updated Secondary School Curriculum in Zimbabwe

The achievement of the objectives of any level of education depends largely on effective
implementation of its planned programme (Ahmad & Lukman, 2015) and researches
have shown that no matter how well a curriculum is planned, designed and
documented, implementation is important (Musingarabwi, 2017; Majoni, 2017; Kurasha
& Chabaya 2013). This is because problems of most programmes arise at the
implementation stage. In their opinion Babalola (2004) and Mkpa (2005) remarked that,
it is at the implementation stage that many excellent curriculum plans and other
educational policies are marred without any trace. According to Munikwa (2016) and
Kanyongo (2005) the education sector in Zimbabwe has suffered the plight of
inadequate instructional materials and facilities, inadequate qualified teachers, poor
funding syndrome and lack of motivation among others. Stressing further that there is
every need to resolve issues surrounding functional education system in Zimbabwe. In
other words, if the new secondary school curriculum will achieve its intended
objectives, the following issues demand urgent attention:
Instructional facilities refer to the basic structures and facilities necessary for
effective teaching and learning in the school. Facilities are equipment, buildings and
furniture which enable teachers to deliver effective teaching thereby leading to
attainment of behavioural objectives. According to Ehiametalor (2011) facilities are
those factors which enable production workers to achieve the goals of an organization.
Olokor (2006) observes that the use of instructional facilities enhances learning
experiences and leads to interaction within the learning environment. What this study
has found out is that in some secondary schools in rural Zimbabwe there were
dilapidated buildings, leaking roofs, lack of chairs and desks for students and teachers
to use. This has negative effect on effective implementation of new secondary school
curriculum.
Clyton & Moses (2017) in the study of the relationship of the physical
environment to teachers’ professionalism revealed that physical environment or
facilities affect teachers in their performance. The study further mentioned that the most
important environmental features which affect teachers’ performance are classrooms,
furniture and class equipment. Esau & Mpofu (2017) commented that a simply,
dignified, artistic exterior is suggestive of the purpose for which school building exists,
make the scholars proud of their school and will have an impressive influence on their
performance at school. Lamenting on the type of buildings found in our rural secondary
school, Shizha & Makuvaza (2017) remark that the rural schools infrastructure had
witnessed stagnation and decay during the period of economic and political instability
in Zimbabwe. This scenario was also observed in some of the rural schools during the
data collection for this study by the researchers. They further commented that most
rural and some urban schools are a caricature of what schools should be in a modern
state. Ehiametalor (2011) argued that school facilities are the operational inputs of every

instructional programme. The school is like a manufacturing organization where plants

and equipment must be in a top operational shape to produce result.
Another challenge emanated from this study was inadequate qualified teachers.
As noted by Munikwa (2016) this is a crucial stage in implementing new school
curriculum. For any programme of the curriculum to be properly implemented, the
implementers must be adequately qualified. In most cases, teachers are compelled to
teach subjects that are not their areas of specialization. The study noted that in most
secondary schools in Mashonaland East, West and Masvingo provinces, teachers were
given extra teaching loads mainly in newly introduced learning areas such as Heritage
Studies and Physical Education and Mass Displays regardless of lack of specialisation in
these areas. This demands urgent attention because teachers are the major hub around
which the successful implementation of new curriculum revolves. Kanyongo (2005)
views the teacher as the key element to proper development of the child and
consequently they are needed in greater numbers and adequately trained in all the
learning areas in schools. While teachers are the cornerstone of any educational system,
inadequate teaching and non-teaching staff is a misery to successful implementation of
curriculum in education sector even though Gatawa (1990) identified the teacher as a
major factor in student learning.
From 2008 to date a challenge of the education sector in Zimbabwe was of poor
funding. As observed by Esau & Mpofu (2017) one impressive feature of educational
institutions in Zimbabwe since independence has been the phenomenal increase in
number of learner population. To meet the massive increase in the number of learners
there must be massive investment of resources in the form of funds. Unfortunately, all
indicators point to a chronic gross under-funding at the school system in Zimbabwe.
This is a serious issue in curriculum implementation in the secondary education. In
support of this Lehman et al. (2002) note that no organization function effectively
without funds. In Zimbabwe for instance, funds allocated for education is grossly
inadequate. Gwany (2006) argues that the education industry is usually the first and
easiest victim of budget cut during austerity and low profile, structural adjustment and
other economic reform strategies. Munikwa (2016) laments that the present level of
underfunding by the state the public sector of education has witnessed stagnation and
decay. This affects implementation of a well-designed curriculum. A situation where
there is no money for payment of teachers’ salaries, purchase of equipment, books,
furniture and other facilities, teachers cannot perform effectively. Furthermore, Gondo
et al. (2017) reports that this serious shortfall and inadequacies in education funding
manifest in over-crowded classrooms, lack of libraries and laboratories and widespread
shortage of learning and teaching materials in the form of textbooks. We also have a lot
of indiscipline, frequent strikes and poor job productivity due to low morale and poor
job satisfaction among school personnel; and unfavourable learning environment for
learners. Many public fast track rural secondary schools in Zimbabwe have grossly
inadequate physical material and human resources needed to give quality service
(Tarisayi & Munikwa, 2017). This problem arose from the age-long neglect of the public
schools system through inadequate funding of education. For instance, due to probably

lack of political will, determination or economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, it

became very difficult for the government to provide quality education for citizens, from
2009-2019 since the budgetary allocation to education shows that Zimbabwean
government had not met the required 26% of education budget recommended by
UNESCO for education .
A further challenge in education system in Zimbabwe is insufficient teaching and
learning materials (Gondo et al., 2017). Dike (1987) and Moyo & Hadebe (2018) describe
teaching and learning materials as alternative channels of communication which a
teacher can use to compress information and make them more vivid to his learners.
Teaching and learning materials are ways and means of making the teaching and
learning process easy, more meaningful and understandable (Ahmad & Lukman, 2015).
In a study on relationship between availability of materials and curriculum
implementation in Nigerian secondary schools, Ajayi (2009) discovered a significant
level of relationship between the two. Consequently, without the availability of
teaching and learning materials in schools, the skill based updated curriculum will not
be effectively implemented and the consequence is lack skill acquisitions and economic
empowerment we so wish in Zimbabwe.
Furthermore, the non-involvement of teachers in decision-making and
curriculum planning could be another very cruel challenge in Zimbabwe. For set
objectives of education to be achieved, teachers must be involved in decision-making
and planning of curriculum from the onset. This is because Young (1975) observes that
in most cases teachers are deliberately neglected when major decisions on education
and matters concerning their welfare are taken. Mkpa (2005) remarks emphatically that
as an important person in the programme of curriculum implementation the teacher
must be involved in all stages of the curriculum process. Lack of involvement of
teachers, according to Majoni (2017) equally hinders the curriculum whose key
implementers would not be well oriented to the teaching of such curriculum.
Another key issue is lack of motivation. Moyo & Hadebe (2018) describes teacher
motivation as those factors that operate within the school system which if not available
to the teacher would hamper performance, cause stress, discounted and frustration all
of which subsequently reduce student quality output. Therefore, in order to improve
performance on the part of students, teachers must be motivated. Boleng & Rahayu
(2017) affirm that for a worker to live up to expectations, such workers must be
motivated. Teachers can be motivated by realizing the need to regard them as the
number one worker to be catered for in terms of prompt payment of salaries, promotion
and payment of other allowances and remuneration. Non-motivation of teachers affects
their performance. When teachers’ salaries, allowances and other entitlements are not
given to them in time, they cannot implement the content of the curriculum. For
instance, Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA), Progressive Teachers’ Union of
Zimbabwe (PTUZ) among others have in the past few years embarked upon strikes
after strikes to demand for teachers’ salaries structure based on qualifications. Ipaye
(2012) argues that the prime motive of man going into a career is to obtain the resources
to meet his/her psychological needs and support family among others. Unfortunately,

Zimbabwean teachers’ monthly take home salaries and allowances are very poor and
unattractive (Newsday, 2014) and as such cannot sustain them in the face of the rising
cost of living ever since the country has been declared a pariah state way back in the
1999.
Application of information and communication technology (ICT) has proved
very useful and effective in the teaching and learning process (Ramesh & Dibaba, 2017).
But teachers’ inability to apply ICT in teaching at secondary schools in Zimbabwe could
be one of the problems militating against effective implementation of the updated
secondary school curriculum (Bukaliya & Mubika, 2011; Ncube & Tshabalala, 2016).
Many secondary school teachers do not use computers in teaching their lessons in
Zimbabwe. This has been attributed to many factors which include electricity problem.
Since ICTs require electricity for their use where there is power failure users will be
stranded. Another factor is lack of computer expertise knowledge in the use of
computers. According to one respondent “[t]he current socio-economic and political
condition in Zimbabwe today has compelled the government to show little concern for the
application of ICT in education”. While most urban schools have access to computers
donated by the former president; there is lack of human and material resources to use
ICT in such schools and the situation is even worse in rural schools where there is no
electricity (Musingarabwi, 2017).
5. Conclusions and Recommendations
The paper assessed Zimbabwe’s education sectors stakeholders’ opinions on the

updated curriculum. It analysed the perceptions of stakeholders on implementation of
the updated curriculum and proffered some solutions on how to improve the
implementation. Having stated the above possibility measures, the following
recommendations are made:-There is need for combined efforts by stakeholders in
education to providing instructional facilities. It is evident that government alone
cannot saddle responsibilities of education in Zimbabwe. To this effect, teachers are
advised to make use of improvisation where there are no instructional materials. Of
course, government could help in providing both visual and audio-visual materials in
all secondary schools in Zimbabwe. The importance of teacher involvement in decision-
making and curriculum planning cannot be over emphasized in Zimbabwe. Therefore,
government should involve teachers in curriculum planning and development to give
them sense of recognition not to involve them only at implementation stage.
Government should employ adequate number of qualified subject teachers in order to
teach all the subjects meant for secondary education and avoid a situation whereby
teachers teach subjects that they have not trained for. Enough funds should be assigned
for secondary education so that payment of teachers’ salaries, allowances and other
entitlements could be made with ease. This will as well make purchase of instructional
materials and provision of facilities possible. Government should ensure that ICT
facilities are used in all secondary schools. This can be done by providing computers
and computer accessories to all secondary schools and making use of rural

electrification programme. Awareness should be made by informing the parents on the

need of ICT during school development meetings so that everyone can contribute to
successful running of ICT programs in all schools in Zimbabwe rural or urban.
Teachers’ salaries allowances, entitlements and other remunerations should be given to
them on time. Government should listen to the teachers’ cry concerning teacher’s salary
structure. There should be meaningful differences in salaries between a university
graduate from a college graduate and those with higher degrees like masters and
doctorates. The current scenario whereby all teachers despite of qualifications and
experience have almost the same salaries should be rectified. This will definitely
motivate teachers to do their best in implementing new curriculum effectively.
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doi: 10.5281/zenodo.2605499 Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019

ISSUES SURROUNDING THE UPDATED

University of Botswana, Bag 285,

Box 752, Marondera, Zimbabwe

Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe

Box 1167, Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Bag 1344, Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.

paper recommends massive advocacy and sensitization of heads, teachers, students,

Keywords: human capital, implementation, Nziramasanga commission, society

2. Curriculum and implementation

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 60

spiritual, unhu/ubuntu, intellectual and social potential as well as to understand the

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 61

2.1 Theoretical underpinnings

3.1 Study area

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Figure 1: Location of Hurungwe District in Zimbabwe

3.3 Key tenets of updated curriculum in Zimbabwe

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 63

3.4 Stages in Curriculum update in Zimbabwe

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Preparation stage Nationwide

Curriculum Blueprint Narrative Report

Figure 2: Stages in Curriculum update in Zimbabwe 1999-2017

Table 1: Issues and sentiments from nationwide consultations: 1998-2016

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 65

4. Results and Discussion

Table 1: Demographic profile of respondents

4.1 Stakeholders’ perception on key issues of the curriculum

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 66

On account of widespread complaints from stakeholders the government had to

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 67

In acknowledging the updated curriculum was a burden to the pupils, the

It has emerged from focused group discussions (FGD) that continuous

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 68

4.1 Challenges in implementing Updated Secondary School Curriculum in Zimbabwe

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 69

instructional programme. The school is like a manufacturing organization where plants

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 70

lack of political will, determination or economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, it

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 71

5. Conclusions and Recommendations

The paper assessed Zimbabwe’s education sectors stakeholders’ opinions on the

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 72

electrification programme. Awareness should be made by informing the parents on the

Ahmadi, A. A., & Lukman, A. A. (2015). Issues and Prospects of Effective

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 73

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 74

Priestley, M. (2011). Whatever happened to curriculum theory? Critical realism and

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 75

Creative Commons licensing terms

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies - Volume 4 │ Issue 2 │ 2019 76

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