21 Jul 2012

ZIMBABWE / EDUCATION

The Ministry of Education is working with UNICEF and donor partners to make sure that children in Zimbabwe – especially the most marginalized and vulnerable – have the proper learning resources. UNICEF

Posted at: July 21, 2012 12:02 am

Duration: 04:32

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: ZIMBABWE / EDUCATION
TRT:  4.32
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 11-16 MARCH 2012, CHIVI, MASVINGO, HARARE, ZIMBABWE

SHOTLIST:

1. Various shots, Students at St Giles school 
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Trust Mutekwa, Specialist teacher St. Giles Special School:
"Literacy is reading and writing so when we cannot just depend on writing, where do we get the reading, so when we get the books for the reading, then we are at par with the rest of the children in other cities." 
3. Wide shot, school
4. Various shots, students in classroom
5. SOUNDBITE (English) David Coltart, Minister of Education, Sports, Art and Culture:
"Three years on from the start of the inclusive government, the education sector has stabilised. All schools are open, teachers are back at work. The textbook pupil ratio is now one to one, one of the best in Africa. And so not only was there a need for the ETF, but it clearly has achieved its purposes."
6. Various shots, Braille book printing machine
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sister Catherine, Dorothy Duncan Braille Library:
"It's a very, very difficult process. It's worth it and we do it because we want the children to have books."
8. Various shots, children with special needs in school
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Anyway Zenda, Principle, Dombo Primary School:
"The availability of these textbooks, their pass rates has improved from grade one up to grade seven."
10. Various shots, students in school
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Salama, UNICEF Zimbabwe Representative:
"Due to the success of phase one of ETF, I think all of our partners have said, 'ok we can't stop there', lets go further than that now and lets really move into phase two, looking at it, an even more sophisticated and more complex set of intervention in ETF."
12. Med shot, students playing musical instruments
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Jorge Pereiro Pinon First Secretary, Head of Health and Social Sector EU Zimbabwe:
"It will be more challenging. Everything which is structural is more challenging, but we have a status on a very good basis."
13. Med shot, Khumbulani Mbusa playing a drum

STORYLINE:
	
The Ministry of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture is working with UNICEF and donor partners through the Education Transition Fund (ETF) to make sure that children in Zimbabwe – especially the most marginalized and vulnerable – have the proper learning resources.

Khumbulani Mbusa is a student at St. Giles School for Children with Special Needs.

For years, the only textbook in his classroom was the one the teacher had.

In Zimbabwe, visually impaired children follow the same curriculum as sighted children, though often without the necessary resources.

But soon Kumbulani will be able to follow lessons in his own textbook and work at the same pace as other children.

SOUNDBITE (English) Trust Mutekwa, Specialist teacher St. Giles Special School:
"Literacy is reading and writing so when we cannot just depend on writing, where do we get the reading, so when we get the books for the reading, then we are at par with the rest of the children in other cities."

The Braille textbooks are part of the ETF efforts, brought about in 2009, to address the dire needs of a deteriorated education system characterised by teacher shortages, a textbook pupil ratio of over 10 to one, limited resources, low student pass rates and high drop-out rates.

SOUNDBITE (English) David Coltart, Minister of Education, Sports, Art and Culture:
"Three years on from the start of the inclusive government, the education sector has stabilised. All schools are open, teachers are back at work. The textbook pupil ratio is now one to one, one of the best in Africa. And so not only was there a need for the ETF, but it clearly has achieved its purposes."

Here at the Dorothy Duncan Braille Library, Sister Catherine and her eight person team with the support of the ETF are printing and distributing the Braille textbooks. So far, they've completed 3,200 Braille primary textbooks and are burning the midnight oil to produce secondary books.

SOUNDBITE (English) Sister Catherine, Dorothy Duncan Braille Library:
"It's a very difficult process but it's worth it and we do it because we want the children to have books."

Overall some 22 million textbooks were printed, procured and distributed to over 8,000 primary and secondary schools along with other supplies including those for early childhood development centres.

In addition to the textbooks and essential stationary distribution, the Fund also invested in the training of School Development Committees to improve management of the school on a community level, and has provided technical assistance to strengthen the ministry's ability to monitor educational services.

These investments together with initiatives such as the basic education assistance module, which helps vulnerable children to attend school, has helped to revitalise the education sector and boosted the performance of learners.

And here at Dombo primary school, the results are starting to show.

SOUNDBITE (English) Anyway Zenda, Principle, Dombo Primary School:
"The availability of these textbooks, their pass rates has improved from grade one up to grade seven."

In a short space of time the Education Transition Fund has helped to stabilise the country's education system. Now partners are implementing a long term plan focusing on broader investments in schools to ensure a quality education for all children, especially the most vulnerable.

SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Salama, UNICEF Zimbabwe Representative
"Due to the success of phase one of ETF, I think all of our partners have said, 'ok we can't stop there', lets go further than that now and lets really move into phase two, looking at it, an even more sophisticated and more complex set of intervention in ETF."

SOUNDBITE (English) Jorge Pereiro Pinon First Secretary, Head of Health and Social Sector EU Zimbabwe:
"It will be more challenging. Everything which is structural is more challenging, but we have a status on a very good basis."

The hope is that these investments will mean that all Zimbabwean children will have the opportunity to reach their full potential. As for Kumbulani, he is working hard to one day fulfil his dream of becoming in a lawyer.