Joanna Girlie Sibanda, The educationist goes to sleep

Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor

“May it please you, Your Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Head of State and Government, Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and Grandmaster of the Zimbabwe order of merit, Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to confer the order of the star of Zimbabwe silver on Mrs Joanna Girlie Moyo-Sibanda for her distinction in education development.”

These were the words of Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, Professor Amon Murwira while reading the citation conferring Mrs Sibanda, one of the highest honours in the land last year during the country’s Heroes Day celebrations.

To many, the name Joanna Girlie Moyo-Sibanda could have just passed like any other ordinary name but to education gurus this is the name of the person whose achievement will remain interred in the country’s history books. This is the woman who single-handedly moulded what is known today as Early Childhood Development (ECD) in the country such that the current concept of ECD was not only her brainchild but she practically helped implement it as far back in 1961.

Back then it was not yet referred to as ECD however, she christened it the New Approach method. In the Old Approach the children were passive in their own learning and the teacher did most of the talking as the children sat silent. The children sat in rows.

The furniture was too big and was suitable for children in the upper grades.
At the time, the walls were bare and had no charts. The children were taught using the drill method and were expected to cram facts without the opportunity to manipulate objects and discover on their own.

This was a woman of firsts. She was the first teacher to introduce the “new approach”, a groundbreaking educational strategy that revolutionised Zimbabwe’s education system in 1962. She was the first woman to head Longman Zimbabwe’s sales division, commandeering the support of learned men all over the country who looked at her for guidance.

Mrs Sibanda, the author of Inyathelo textbooks that were once a staple in primary schools across the country, was also the first black woman to possess a driver’s licence. This is a woman who touched many with her works, including this reporter, who turned into a bookworm during her time at Longman, as she would always have books loaded in the boot of her Mazda 626, then a top of the range vehicle, encouraging children on the importance of developing a reading culture from a tender age.

However, last Thursday the revered educationist breathed her last at the United Bulawayo Hospitals. However, as the adage goes; legends never die. they continue to live forever through their work, for Mrs Sibanda, although she is no longer physically with us her influence in the education system remains forever.

Manjengwa (1994) in describing the works of Mrs Sibanda says; “She is the pillar of ECD in Zimbabwe. She is an educationist who played a pivotal role in the development of Infant Education in Zimbabwe. She worked alongside Mr McDonald Partridge and Dr Joyce Childs in the implementation of the New Approach at Hope Fountain Mission.

The approach facilitated the establishment of the infant department and the training of specialist infant teachers using infant methods. The methods prevalent to date in the teaching and learning in the infant department are because of their influence.”
Manjengwa, who researched extensively on Mrs Sibanda’s new approach to infant learning, reveals that before Mrs Sibanda’s influence there was no infant department as seen presently in schools.

Children learnt in composite classes. Grade One and Four were taught by the same teacher in the same classroom at the same time. They would sit facing the opposite direction. Grade Two and Five were also combined and taught in the same manner. Grade Three however, did not have a teacher, teachers rotated during their free periods to teach the class.

“In the old approach harsh discipline was used. At times the children were beaten up for getting sums and spellings wrong. In some instances, the learner would have to stand for the rest of the lesson if they got a sum or spelling wrong. Children were also ridiculed for getting a sum wrong by instructing their classmates to boo them.

“Mrs Joanna Moyo-Sibanda was the first “African” teacher to experiment on infant methods, the new approach emphasised on the pedagogy of infant education.

It also emphasised the need for the teacher to provide a conducive environment that promoted discovery learning, manipulation of concrete material, problem solving skills and critical thinking skills,” reads part of an outline illustrating the works of Mrs Sibanda.

In an interview with Sunday News in 2019, in describing her life’s journey, Mrs Sibanda noted that one thing that ever made her smile was the fact that she helped teach children, ensuring the country of its future leaders.

“In my life I’ve never applied for a job. I don’t know how one applies for a job. All the jobs I had were offered by people that wanted to employ me.

What I enjoyed and what I treasure is teaching young children. I was managing the whole of Matabeleland and people that I was in charge of were men. In 1993 I got a chance to be the sales representative of Longman,” she reveals.

Born in 1933 at a place called Ntabende in Matabeleland South, Mrs Sibanda attended Ngwenya Mission (now John Tallach) and Hope Fountain Mission (now Tennyson Hlabangana).

She completed her teacher training course in 1952.
After studying infant teaching at Bristol University, and a stint at Mzilikazi High School, Sibanda was to break new ground when she was hired by educational books publisher Longman Zimbabwe.

It was while at Longman that she penned the book, Beginning to Learn, a manual for teachers. By then schools were using the New Approach which is what was used until the introduction of the new curriculum. It was also during that time that she wrote many books including a book called The twins at the Matobo Hills, which was an imaginary story.

She finally retired from her job in 1997, after which she became active within her church, the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, at one point holding the topmost position of chairing the Zimbabwe Synod.

It is her dedication and love for the church that saw her yesterday being laid to rest at UCCSA ‘heroes acre’ at Hope Fountain mission, where other luminaries of the church, including Tennyson Hlabangana, are buried. As she enjoys her deep slumber, we say your works will live on and your great grandchildren will be telling their kids that their ancestor helped educate a nation.

“I am so excited, really excited, people really do know me, just go to the UCCSA church, Mzilikazi branch or any branch in the city, ask them who JG is, ask any infant teacher who JG is, I am so excited,” she said in one of her last interviews in 2021 after being given the national accolade, a statement which somes up her impact today both in the education sector and the church.
Lala ngokuthula JG, RIP Gogowami.