Gweru (New Ziana) -Parents and teachers should work together to identify the skills that students have for purposes of character development and mentorship, a cabinet Minister has said.
Officially opening the National Annual Sports, Science, Arts Festival (NASSAF) at Chaplin High School in Gweru, the Midlands province, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Torerai Moyo urged stakeholders to participate in nurturing children’s skills to prepare them to be productive citizens in line with the national vision of attaining an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
“As we progress towards the upper middle-income society by the year 2030, this particular event is most relevant to the national development strategy Pillar on human capital development,” he said.
Moyo emphasized the Ministry’s focus of a heritage-based 21st Century education that goes beyond traditional knowledge to include fostering creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, emotional intelligence, and practical problem-solving as essential skills for productive individuals.
He described NASSAF as a platform for demonstrating and sharing good practices in translating theory to practice and preparing pupils to start thinking and horning in the skills to produce goods, products and services to the citizens and the world at large.
“In this case under the human capital development theme of our National Development Strategy, we are demonstrating our commitment to laying the foundation for education 5.0 in which the ministries output for the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education innovation, science development and for the Ministry of Youth, economic development and vocational training and other sectors,” he explained.
Moyo urged schools to reinforce current efforts to eliminate substance and drug abuse amongst pupils, communities and even families to achieve the potential benefits of the curriculum.
He called on schools to refrain from sending students home due to unpaid fees, citing it as unconstitutional. However, the Minister also urged parents to pay fees on time.
Speaking at the same occasion, Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Owen Ncube encouraged students to engage with the public and seek their feedback for continuous improvement.
Over 1 300 learners from all the provinces attended the festival, where they were showcasing their talents in science, design and technology, marimba, dance and modelling among other disciplines.
NASSAF promotes stakeholder participation in preparing children to become productive citizens and also serves as a platform for showcasing and sharing effective teaching methods that bridge theory and practice.
New Ziana
