Govt Launches Radio, TV Broadcast Lessons

By Stephen Tsamba

GOVERNMENT has launched the broadcast of radio and television lessons programme aimed at enhancing access to learning among Zimbabwean school children in the wake of continued disturbances to the national school calendar due to Covid-19.

Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Edgar Moyo Monday presided over the launch of the UNICEF-supported initiative at ZBC’s Pockets Hill Studios in Harare.

Moyo said government has launched the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) among whose strategies was to adopt effective instruction and blended learning from ECD upwards.

The radio and television lessons, coupled with modules, workbooks, podcasts, and digital content, are an integral part of the NDS1 initiatives, he said.

“The Government of Zimbabwe has just launched the National Development Strategy 1 whose strategies amongst others include adopting innovative technologies that support effective instruction and blended learning approaches from ECD upwards.

“The television lessons together with radio lessons, modules, workbooks, podcasts, digital content on various platforms are an integral component of the NDS1 initiatives for the education sector.”

Moyo said uploaded digital content, TV content, radio lesson broadcasts and content on hard and soft modules resonated with the competence-based curriculum.

“Digital content uploaded on the various digital platforms, the content on TV and radio lesson broadcasts, the content on hard and soft modules resonates with the competence-based curriculum.

“The content on all media resonates with the content on the catch up strategy being used by teachers in the classroom.”

The minister said those who were not able to access the television lessons will get the same lessons through radio and print media and that the ministry is aware that not all parts of the nation have access to television and radio.

Moyo thanked the Secretary for Primary and Secondary information, Tumisang Thabela, for coming up with the television lessons.

He attributed learner suffering in terms of school attendance to the Covid-19 pandemic and said that the ministry has made e-learning a key ingredient to improving the quality of education.

“It is common knowledge that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused untold suffering amongst our learners in terms of school attendance.

“To this end, blended teaching and learning has become imperative to promote continuity of learning during and after the Covid-19 induced school closures.

“Ministry has made e-learning a key ingredient to improve the quality of education. Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to engineer education and make learning possible everywhere anytime hence television broadcasting has become one of the key alternative learning strategies.”