The implementation of History curriculum reforms at secondary school level in the Manicaland province of Zimbabwe

Abstract

The aim of this study was to establish the extent to which the mandatory study of the subject History was successfully implemented in some secondary schools in the Manicaland province of Zimbabwe. While this subject is no longer mandatory in the Zimbabwean school curriculum, it was deemed necessary to conduct this study because, just like a recurring pandemic, lessons picked out of this study are considered useful inferences to address future occurrences in this category. Interpretivism was adopted as the research paradigm of this qualitative study. A case study was used as a research type. The study involved curriculum experts, education officials, secondary school heads, and History teachers as participants. Interviews, focus group discussions and a document study were the data-gathering methods. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to identify the participants of the study. The thematic analysis method was applied to analyse and interpret research data. The study established two opposing views concerning the rationale for the mandatory study of school History, namely to benefit the learners as individuals and to benefit ZANU PF as a political party. The study also established that the use of a circular by the education ministry to disseminate the curriculum information did not necessarily guarantee the successful implementation of the reforms. For the period 2002 to 2016, no efforts had been made by the education ministry to monitor or evaluate the extent to which implementation of the reforms succeeded owing to a shortage of resources. The study established three submissions regarding the trends of the implementation of the History curriculum reforms in the Mutare and Mutasa district secondary schools, namely a complete curriculum implementation, a fractional curriculum implementation and a null curriculum implementation. Based on the findings, the study recommends the adoption of the curriculum consensus model, the matching of the curriculum reality codes when planning and designing a History curriculum, securing academic freedom for the History teachers, and that patriotism needs to be cultivated in learners through unforced and democratic History teaching and learning. The thesis is concluded by sign-posting areas that need further investigation.

Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel tot watter mate die verpligte studie van die vak Geskiedenis suksesvol in sekondere skole in die Manicaland-provinsie in Zimbabwe geïmplementeer is. Alhoewel die vak nie meer verpligtend in die Zimbabwiese skoolkurrikulum is nie, is dit nodig geag om die studie uit te voer omdat, net soos ’n herhalende pandemie, lesse wat uit hierdie studie geneem is, beskou word as nuttige gevolgtrekkings om toekomstige gebeure in hierdie kategorie te hanteer. Interpretivisme is aangeneem as die navorsingsparadigma van hierdie kwalitatiewe studie. ’n Gevallestudie is gebruik as ’n navorsingsvoorbeeld. Die deelnemers van die studie het bestaan uit kurrikulumkundiges, onderrigbeamptes, skoolhoofde in sekondêre skole, en Geskiedenis-onderwysers. Onderhoude, fokusgroepbesprekings en ’n dokumentstudie is as data-insamelingsmetodes aangewend. Doelbewuste en sneeubal-steekproefneming is gebruik om die deelnemers van die studie te identifiseer. Die tematiese ontledingsmetode is toegepas om die navorsingsdata te ontleed en te interpreteer. Die studie het vasgestel dat daar twee opponerende sienings is oor die beweegrede vir die verpligte skoolvak Geskiedenis, naamlik om die leerders as individue te bevoordeel en om ZANU PF as ’n politieke party te bevoordeel. In die studie is daar ook vasgestel dat die gebruik van ’n omsendbrief deur die onderwysdepartement om die kurrikulum-inligting te versprei nie noodwendig die suksesvolle implementering van die hervormings gewaarborg het nie. Van 2002 tot 2016 is daar, weens ’n tekort aan hulpbronne, geen pogings aangewend deur die onderwysdepartement om die mate waarin die hervormings suksesvol was te evalueer nie. Die studie het vasgestel dat daar drie voorleggings is wat die neigings van die implementering van die Geskiedenis-kurrikulumhervormings in die Mutare- en Mutasa-distrikte se sekondêre skole betref, naamlik ’n volledige kurrikulum-implementering, ’n gebroke implementering en ’n nul-kurrikulum. Gebaseer op die bevindings word die volgende aanbeveel: die aanneming van die kurrikulum-konsensusmodel, die paring van die kurrikulum-werklikheidskodes tydens die beplanning en ontwerp van ’n Geskiedenis-kurrikulum, om akademiese vryheid vir Geskiedenis-onderwysers te verseker, en dat patriotisme by leerders gekweek moet word deur ongedwonge en demokratiese Geskiedenis-onderrig en -leer. Die verhandeling is afgesluit deur aanwysingsareas wat verdere ondersoek benodig.

Inhloso yalolu cwaningo bekuwukuthola ukuthi kwaba yimpumelelo engakanani ukuqaliswa kokufunda okuphoqelekile kwesifundo sezoMlando kwezinye zezikole zamabanga amaphakathi e-Manicaland okuyisifundazwe esise-Zimbabwe. Nakuba lesi sifundo singasaphoqelekile kukharikhulamu yezikole zase-Zimbabwe, kodwa kubonakala kunesidingo sokuthi lwenziwe lolu cwaningo ngoba, lokhu kuyisimo esifana nobhubhane oluziphindayo, izinto esizifunda ngalolu cwaningo zibukeka ziwusizo olukhulu ekubhekaneni nezigameko ezingaphinda zenzeke esikhathini esizayo ngalesi simo. Lapha kusetshenziswe uhlelo i-interpretivism njengendlela yocwaningo oluzosebenza ukuhlola iqophelo kulesi senzo. Kulolu cwaningo kuxoxiswane nabantu ngokuhlukahlukana kwabo. Lolu cwaningo lubandakanya ababambiqhaza okungongoti bekharikhulamu, izikhulu zezemfundo, izinhloko zezikole emabangeni amaphakathi, kanye nothisha besifundo sezoMlando. Izindlela ezisetshenzisiwe zokuqoqa ulwazi kube yizinkulumongxoxo, ukuxoxisana namaqoqo athile kanye nokucwaningwa lwemibhalo. Lolu cwaningo lwenziwe ngokutonyulwa kwabantu abebehlosiwe kanye nalabo abakhethwe ngaphandle kokubhekwa ukuthi bangobani. Ukuhlaziywa kanye nokuhunyushwa kolwazi lwalolu cwaningo kwenziwe ngokuthi kusetshenziswe indlela yokuhlaziya ingqikithi. Ucwaningo luveze imibono emibili ephikisanayo mayelana nesizathu sokufunda okuphoqelekile kwezoMlando, okungukuthi ukusiza abafundi njengabantu ngabanye kanye nokuhlomulisa i-ZANU PF njenhlangano yezepolitiki. Ucwaningo luphinde lwaveza ukuthi ukusetshenziswa kwesekhula wumnyango wezemfundo ukuze usabalalise ulwazi lwekharikhulamu akubanga yinto eqinisekisa ukuqaliswa ngempumelelo kwalezi zinguquko. Kusukela ngo-2002 kuya ku-2016, akukho mizamo eyake yenziwa umnyango wezemfundo ukuze uqaphe noma uhlole ukuthi kube yimpumelelo yini ukuqaliswa kokusebenza kwezinguquko nakuba zinganele kahle izinsizakusebenza. Kulolu cwaningo kusetshenziswe izethulo ezintathu ezimayelana nendlela yokuqaliswa kokusebenza kwezinguquko zekharikhulamu yesifundo sezoMlando e-Mutare nase-Mutasa okuyizikole zesifunda zamabanga amaphakathi, nokuwukuqaliswa kwekharikhulamu ephelele, ingxenye yayo kanye nokuthi kungaqaliswa lutho ngayo. Ngokwemiphumela etholakele, ucwaningo luncoma ukuthi kusetshenziswe uhlelo lokuvumelana ngekharikhulamu, ukuhlanganiswa kwamakhodi ekharikhulamu uma kuhlelwa kuphinde kwakhiwa ikharikhulamu yesifundo sezoMlando, ukuqinisekisa inkululeko kothisha besifundo sezoMlando, kanye nokuthi intshisekelo ngezwe kumele igqugquzelwe kubafundi ngokungaphoqwa nangokuzikhethela ukufunda nokufundiswa isifundo sezoMlando. Ucwaningo luphothulwe ngokuthi kuthunyelwe izimpawu ezikhombisa izindawo ezidinga ukuphenywa ngokwengeziwe.