Ministry of Education’s new high school curriculum sets 10 subject maximum, computers & other STEM subjects optional

The Ministry of Education which has been rolling out a new curriculum for Primary and Secondary Education in Zimbabwe recently shared some guidelines on subjects set for Ordinary Level students.

According to the Sunday Mail, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr. Lazarus Dokora, indicated that the government had set 10 subjects as the maximum number that students would be required to sit for with 7 of them set as compulsory subjects.

All students will have to sit for Maths, English Language, General Science, Indigenous Languages, Agriculture, Physical Education, Sport and Mass Display and Heritage Studies.

Students who wish to write more than this can select from a list that includes subjects like Computer Science, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Additional Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, Statistics, History, Commerce, Economics, Principles of Accounts, Design and Technology, Food Technology, Metal Technology and Design, Home Management and Design and Technical Graphics and Design.

According to Dokora, The Ministry of Education is taking ICT, Sports and Art seriously and the new curriculum which highlights this through the compulsory drive for Mathematics, Science, Technology, Vocational studies, Humanities and Heritage studies.

The same curriculum is also advocating for the introduction of attachment for students after their Ordinary Level studies.

The changes in Primary and Secondary Education come at a time when the government, through the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education is actively encouraging the adoption of STEM subjects.

Science like subjects like Computer Science, Physics, and Biology which feed into the STEM initiative have been made optional presumably because of the lack of resources in rolling them out a larger scale.

It will be interesting to see if the government tries to address this to ensure that any real push for STEM does take place.