The Sunday News
Sindisiwe Sibanda, Sunday News Reporter
THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has started implementing Gender and Sexuality Education to Early Child Development learners up to Advanced Level as part of efforts under the new curriculum to impart to children principles of self-respect and guidelines to their rights and responsibilities regarding the issues.
Director of Curriculum Development and Technical Services in the Ministry Dr Paul Thomas Makanda said gender and sexuality education has been added to areas such as Guidance and Counselling, Family, Religious and Moral Education, Heritage Studies and Life Orientation programme which carry clear concepts that deal with gender and sexuality as cross-cutting themes.
“We are happy for this greatest achievement and that subject is now taught across schools. We have also managed to reinforce inclusive education through mainstreaming gender issues and at the same time empowered the marginalised gender learners, especially marginalisation that was influenced by gender differences and gender misinterpretations (gender equity and quality),” he said,
Dr Makanda said gender and sexuality programmes were critical in character and behavioural building.
“It is also there to help prevent early marriages, to impart learners with the principles of self-respect, guides to rights and responsibilities and to help learners to become responsible citizens who cherish their Zimbabwean values and norms,” said Dr Makanda.
He said the concept was not being treated as a learning area (subject) but as an important concept in the teaching and learning process, as issues of identity are key in learning.
“The concept therefore, assists in identity and self-actualisation of learners,” said Dr Makanda.
He said teachers were now being trained to teach the concept.
“Upcoming teachers are being trained with focus on the New Curriculum and gender and sexuality concepts. The Ministry has also done nationwide training on syllabus interpretation in a bid to familiarise teachers with demands and expectations of the curriculum,” said Dr Makanda.
He said there was a delay in producing the syllabus and challenges of acquiring learning material.
“There is little stakeholder participation in providing teaching and learning materials that speaks to gender and sexuality as expected by the Ministry. The one producing such material prefers to publish and distribute without the approval of the ministry. This, however, results in some unwanted materials getting to schools hence the cascading model on syllabus interpretation and workshops need to be complemented so that teachers get excellent grounding on the new curriculum expectations,” he said.
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