Story by Aifheli Mudau
THE 40th annual Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) conference, currently underway in Bulawayo, has placed the digital transformation of the education system at the forefront of its three-day agenda.
Bringing together educators and stakeholders from all 10 provinces, the conference is focused on reshaping Zimbabwe’s education sector through the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs), the promotion of a heritage-based curriculum, and reforms to improve working conditions for teachers.
Participants emphasised the urgent need for systemic change, including the creation of a Professional Council to uphold the dignity and professional standards of educators.
“There is need to have the Profession Council so that we maintain the dignity of educators and at the same time, we appeal for government to employ new and young teachers,” a participant stated.
“The issue of teachers with disabilities should be considered because sometimes as disabled educators, we are deployed where we cannot perform well because of various factors,” another added.
The integration of information communication technologies (ICTs) is expected to improve the learning environment and record-keeping at schools.
“The issue of digitalisation and AI are very important to both teachers and learners and as such, we call upon the government to offer its maximum support during this ICT era because now the whole education chain needs digitalised management,” ZIMTA’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Sifiso Ndlovu said.
ZIMTA normally holds an elective conference every four years to elect new leadership but had to shelve to pave way for the constitution review process.
