HARARE Public hospitals and schools remain in shocking condition because of neglect and under-funding by the government, according to Education Minister David Coltart Coltart said Zimbabwes education system was still in a free fall”, and most schools in the country were still in a profoundly shocking state despite various interventions since the formation of an inclusive government in 2009.?? This had been worsened by the governments failure to develop a new curriculum, forcing schools to rely on one developed over two decades ago, which was out of sync with the demands of modern education. In addition, most schools did not have the textbooks to complement the curriculum, Coltart said.
He said: The situation at schools is profoundly shocking, but we are working with our partners and local communities to rehabilitate schools. There has not been comprehensive curriculum review for over two decades. Our hope is that by 2011 we would have come up with concrete areas for curriculum reform. We are currently working with experts in curriculum reform to identify areas that can be improved. Our idea is to make the curriculum more vocational. Most children come out of school with academic but useless qualifications.??
“The fact of the matter is that the education sector has been grossly neglected by successive governments, and we are now reaping the effects of that, added Coltart.?? In a separate presentation on the health sector, Madzorera said efforts to revive state hospitals and clinics were being hampered by a shortage of funds with disbursements from Treasury erratic and too little. Donors are also not willing to put money into the ministry directly. The health system is still grossly under-funded with about $12 per capita instead of the recommended $34 per capita, said Madzorera.
Post published in: News