The media have been inundated with news that the government is reviewing degrees offered at state universities to standardize qualifications and eliminate irrelevant programs that produce idle graduates with no innovative skills. The Minister for Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technological Development, Professor Amon Murwira, has been thrust into the spotlight and stirred up mixed feelings among the public when he announced that useless degrees would be scrapped from our universities. The idea is to reshape university curricula to improve the competitiveness of local tertiary education. It has been reported that the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (Zimche) has conducted an audit of all degrees at all state universities. [Sources: 5]
At the time of writing, Zimbabwe's knowledge sector, dominated by state universities, has embraced the practicality of Education 5.0. Thank you to His Excellency President Ed Mnangagwa for his serious and emphatic statement that Education 50 is now a reality after it was adopted by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science, Technology and Development under the leadership of Professor Amos Murwira. In short, the traditional tripartite tasks of Zimbabwe's state universities - teaching, research, and community service - have been revised to meet the urgent national goal of achieving middle-income status by 2030. [Sources: 0]
On the other hand, the liberal arts education envisaged by the Education Department panel in the interim report seems to be aimed at getting students to study a variety of sciences through introductory textbooks, in order to gain broad knowledge and the ability to think from different standpoints. This type of education for students will serve to produce people with deep knowledge, who are expected to improve their critical thinking skills, to form normative judgments, and to acquire basic skills for identifying and solving problems, and for designing and shaping social systems. Since it is impossible to promote suitable human resources for society, [50] drastic curriculum reforms should be undertaken to make universities the arena of liberal arts education in basic and specialized subjects, while advanced study of specialized subjects remains in the hands of graduate schools. Takamitsu Sawa is deputy director of the International Institute of Advanced Studies in Kizugawa, Kyoto Prefecture. [Sources: 6]
This shows the lopsided nature of the local education system and how it has not had a significant impact on countries "efforts to industrialize and modernize. The question arises from the fact that high literacy rates have been unable to achieve the desired level of innovation and technological progress that would affect the economy. Attempts to answer this question show that impressive literacy statistics do not tell the whole story. The huge gap that must be filled for industrial progress can be attributed to the failure of the education system to produce graduates relevant to the needs of the Japanese economy. [Sources: 7]
This role requires a transition from a curriculum provider to a learning coach. Students are encouraged to question teachers "knowledge and methods and to gain new and innovative insights, both individual and collective. This new function will fuel the natural passion and genius of the students, and the guardians of knowledge will drive them away from the prefabricated streets built for the masses. [Sources: 8]
Research has long been considered an important part of academic research at universities. We do not believe that Education 5.0 should change this priority and strive to bring research into our teaching and learning, rather than treating it as a separate part of teaching. Teachers must be good researchers, transforming learners into industrialists and innovators, and not parroting or reciting content that has meaningful and practical meaning. [Sources: 2]
Zimbabwe's state universities are open for business. Serious Education 50-subscribed state universities operate in Industry Solution Provider (ISP) mode. Compared to the lucrative JCR mode, ISP is low hanging in terms of immediate revenue generation. [Sources: 5]
It is important that the new derogation focuses on reforming the education system by introducing the so-called Education 5.0 curriculum. This is a government-approved policy of spending 1% of GDP on research and development and promoting innovative higher education. [Sources: 7]
Minister Murwira is not fooled by the cheers of politicians who assure him that the noble Education 50 will push ahead with its investment in universities. We are seeing innovation and industrialisation incorporated into the mantras of universities with tangible commitment. University students scramble for chairs, adequate lecture theatres, plug sockets and Wi-Fi when it's not working. [Sources: 2]
The issue of incentives for staff, students and alumni to implement 50% education requires active participation by state university councils. University councils should commit to a percentage of tuition fees for SEED, RF and IIF. State university councils should also dictate key performance indicators. [Sources: 0]
Most people have a variety of different careers that require fundamental retraining, and the speed of innovation requires new skills and knowledge to keep up. The concept of 100 years of life has become the norm, but most of that time will be spent studying and working, meaning that learning will be much more important for the next generation. [Sources: 8]
It is aimed at universities and tertiary institutions to focus on programmes that lead to goods and services. In other words, degrees, certificates and diploma programmes in our institutions should have a minimum level of knowledge and skills leading to the production of goods or services, "Professor Murwira said. [Sources: 4]
In result-oriented education, the role of the teacher is required as a leading figure, as a mentor who imparts knowledge. The task of transforming conventional students into active learners rests with the teacher. [Sources: 1]
EL Educations Curriculum is designed to help your students build skills, content and knowledge to meet college and career standards while becoming more confident and collaborative. It is designed to help teachers improve their practice. The curriculum differs from and is better than the published curriculum. Our curriculum is written for teachers by teachers. It offers free and open resources. [Sources: 3]
At the heart of the curriculum for all grades are one-hour modules and lessons. Each grade level consists of four modules that cover the entire school year. These modules enable students to build up an important knowledge base around compelling topics in the natural sciences, social sciences and literature. [Sources: 3]
Sources:
[0]: http://www.mhtestd.gov.zw/?p=3501
[1]: https://www.chitkara.edu.in/transforming-education/
[2]: https://www.manicapost.co.zw/education-5-0-teaching-imperatives-in-uni/
[3]: https://eleducation.org/resources/k-5-language-arts-curriculum-overview
[4]: https://services.gzu.ac.zw/news/?p=1441
[5]: https://www.thepatriot.co.zw/education/education-5-0-and-vision-2030-re-configuring-zim-university-degrees/
[6]: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/10/16/commentary/japan-commentary/reforming-education-society-5-0/
[7]: https://www.herald.co.zw/education-5-0-innovation-solutions-to-everyday-needs/
[8]: https://mattiasuisse.medium.com/education-5-0-why-i-think-we-need-to-adjust-the-education-system-4a669b26396d
