Unravelling Education 5.0

20 May, 2022 - 00:05 0 Views
Unravelling Education 5.0 Continuous Assessment (CA) is an on-going system of monitoring learners’ progress with the aim of helping them improve their learning

The ManicaPost

 

Shelton Mwanyisa
Emerging Issues in Education

In primary school, we were asked what we wanted to be when we grew up.

 

Responses that earned positive comments included being a teacher, a nurse and so on.

I was once surprised when one student from my Grade Three class said she wanted to be an air hostess when she grew up.

 

The class was directed to clap hands for her.

 

I hardly came across anyone who said he or she wanted to be a mine owner, car manufacturing company owner, etcetera.

We were praised for desiring to be workers! Welcome to the column Emerging Issues in Education.

 

This week we address the rationale behind the model Education 5.0.

What are educational models?

Models are understood to be representations of the real.

 

They save as frameworks to be followed in implementation of the actual activity.

 

In the context of schooling, educational models can be explained as well thought and crafted abstractions that must be implemented in all schools in order to achieve specific goals.

In essence the goals in education can be summarised as national aspirations.

 

Educational models differ from one country to another and no country or model has all the answers to fulfil the requirements of evolving societies.

 

What works in one country may not significantly work elsewhere.

Background of Education 5.0

It must be noted that the colonial model of education adopted at Independence was designed to produce workers for the masters.

 

The education system had been deliberately engineered to perpetuate white supremacy and dominance.

The educational renovations that followed from Independence to date have been structured to respond to the needs and aspirations of its recipients.

 

Education for all, Education With Production, the New Curriculum and now Education 5.0 are examples of educational models that has been implemented in the country since 1980.

 

The adjustments put in place since 1980 up to the early 90s were useful at the time of their implementation.

The turn of the 90s onwards saw multi-nationals close their companies, thereby leading to thousands losing jobs when the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) was implemented.

The implication was that Education 3.0 was rendered inappropriate as producing job seekers became an irrelevant role of education.

 

There was need to produce employment creators.

What is Education 5.0 ?

The concept Education 5.0 is a home grown educational philosophy emanating from the curriculum renovations and transformations meant to address the country’s social and economic challenges.

 

It is a philosophical position informing the direction the country’s education system should follow.

The model is hinged on the pillars of research and community service, innovation and industrialisation.

 

The country’s Vision 2030 seeks to transform the economy into an upper-middle income by the year 2030.

Going forward, Education 5.0 therefore adequately prepares Zimbabwe for that.

 

Education 5.0 is a heritage-based model.

 

The schools are expected to provide the national economy with industrial solutions and spur the country towards achieving Vision 2030.

This can be done by combining critical thinking, creative thinking, innovativeness and an entrepreneurial mindset to the technological know.

The country is also in the process of retooling and reviving industry using the latest technology.

Implementing Education 5.0

Education 5.0 is expected to be implemented starting in schools through changing the mindset of the learners by adjusting the methods and approaches to pedagogy.

The processes of learning and teaching have to change significantly to adapt to the current human needs.

 

Therefore, the learners are expected to participate in researches.

This partly explains why CALAs have been part of the school curriculum.

 

Research promotes critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and innovation, which can lead to development of home grown industrial solutions.

 

The teachers’ role is that of a midwife or facilitator since the lecture method has no room in Education 5.0.

 

The lecture method has been criticised for promoting memorisation of facts without understanding.

 

Learning is no longer confined to the classrooms only.

 

Rather, we are now encouraging application of what is learnt in real life problems.

 

The Africa University has been producing hand sanitisers through application of Education 5.0.

 

The school and the community are interconnected and community problems cannot be divorced from the school.

Challenges facing Education 5.0

One of the challenges facing Education 5.0 is the process of changing the mindset of students from education for employment to education for development.

 

Further, Education 5.0 is relatively new and not much research has been done to establish how it intends to deliver its objectives.

Therefore, it is important to continue researching in the area in order to modify the model to align it with emerging trends.

 

Research thrives on availability of resources and funding, which could be difficult to for some schools.

Therefore, development of income generating projects is imperatives as part of the problem solving process.

It can therefore be argued that Education 5.0 is a solution to the challenges facing the country in terms of the primary industry development.

It can be noted that the thrust of Education 5.0 can solve problems through critical and creative ideas.

 

This is also the thrust of the new curriculum.

 

The education system has to shift from producing passive recipients of the education system.

 

Vision 2030 requires people who are research oriented and with team spirit.

 

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