Government gives guidelines on Heritage Based Education curriculum implementation

Harare, (New Ziana) – The Zimbabwe government has issued comprehensive guidelines on implementing the Heritage Based Education 2024 -2030 curriculum ahead of the schools opening for the second term next week.

Primary and Secondary Education permanent secretary Moses Mhike issued the guidelines through the Secretary’s Circular Number 4 of 2024 dated April 23 which is directed to education sector stakeholders.

These include senior education officials from district to national levels, heads of primary and secondary schools, correspondence and independent colleges, staff associations and unions, responsible authorities, church education secretaries, vice chancellors of universities, principals of teachers’ colleges, polytechnics, vocational training centres, and industrial training colleges.

The guidelines mark the introduction of the Heritage Based Education curriculum framework 2024-2030 which is aligned to the National Development Strategy 1 and 2 (2021 – 2030) and replaces the Secretary’s Circular number 2 of 2017 which was the guiding document from 2015 to 2022.

The Heritage-based education curriculum is expected to present school heads, teachers, and the entire sector with an opportunity to develop professionally and improve learning outcomes.

Heritage refers to natural endowments such as flora, fauna, water, mineral, and human resources which the education sector is expected to exploit and produce goods and services useful to the economy.

“Our Heritage based Curriculum is, therefore, delivered conscious of the environment it seeks to transform with a mandate of ensuring that pupils acquire skills, values, and attitudes for life and work,” said Mhike.

“It integrates and reinforces a strong scientific and technological bias as part of the government’s skills development strategy.”

The new curriculum aims to produce highly competent pupils with a Zimbabwean outlook to promote and cherish the national identity, prepare pupils for life and work in an innovation and knowledge-driven economy.

It also aims to foster lifelong learning, prepare pupils for participatory citizenship, peace, and sustainable development, and orient pupils for participatory leadership and voluntary service while cherishing the Zimbabwean philosophical orientation of unhu/ubuntu (humanity).

A key concept associated with unhu/ubuntu is behaviour and interaction in the context of various social roles.

New Ziana