New Curriculum takes its toll on pupils

THE new curriculum - introduced at the beginning of this year - is already taking its toll on pupils as they inundate key institutions in the city seeking to interview staff as part of their "projects", raising the ire of the often overworked employees.

The pupils, who have become a nuisance, are now being turned away from thinly-staffed but critical institutions in the eastern border city that they visit in an uncoordinated fashion.

Mutare mayor Tatenda Nhamarare said he has also been kept busy attending to pupils.

"It's like this almost every day and when they leave, another group comes in," Nhamarare said as he opened a boardroom packed with students. He dictated a few notes, having left them waiting as he attended a meeting before telling them to go and have their notes stamped and signed by his secretary.

At the city clinic, students now compete with patients for the nurses' attention.

"These children are becoming a real nuisance. We can't handle them anymore," a miffed nurse said this week.

"We are taking our complaints up with our superiors because I think the ministry of education should do something to make sure that there is sanity in the way they are implementing the new syllabus," the nurse, who preferred anonymity, added.

Residents have also expressed concern over the safety of the girl child as they are exposed to sexual predators in workplaces they visit without their teachers.

James Matsito, a social commentator, said there was a huge risk that young girls could be easy prey.

"There are many workplaces that are not safe for even professional women protected by company policies and laws, let alone for young girls who just walk in and out without supervision," Matsito said.

The Muslim community in Mutare has cried foul over the violation of its traditions, potentially straining relations as they are poorly briefed on how to approach some institutions.

"We were shocked to see some skimpily-dressed young ladies in a section of the Dangamvura mosque where women are not allowed to take selfies.

"Our religion also has very strict rules of engagement between males and females that we hope schools would orient their pupils as they come so that everyone is comfortable but that does not seem to be the case," a female member of the Muslim community said.

She said they were prepared to assist the pupils but preferred responding to enquiries through school authorities.

Several parents have also complained over the new curriculum's impact on children's moral conduct as young boys and girls have been spotted in the city's red light districts looking for commercial sex workers to interview.

"I saw some children loitering near Moto-Moto, claiming they wanted to talk to prostitutes on the advantages and disadvantages of commercial sex work as part of their project and I was shocked.

"What kind of an education is that which does not consider the safety of these children? Even seasoned researchers will have trouble navigating some of these areas unscathed and we are throwing these children right at the deep end," Memory Mudzingaidzwa said.

Manicaland provincial education director Edward Shumba said he could not comment as he was still on sick leave following a recent accident and referred enquiries to his deputy Clara Kanoerera, who said she was out of the office by the time of going to print.