Educational Leadership

and Management

Bekezela, Vusumuzi & Ronald

 QUESTION
With specific examples,
demonstrate the role of
communities in the success
or failure of educational
policies
 Introduction

• The presentation will focus on

education policies within the
Zimbabwe context.
 Introduction
Communities are one of the major
stakeholders that should be
considered, made aware of and
consulted before coming up with and
implementing any significant policy
in the education sector. This is
because they represent the
interests of several learners whom
they send to different schools
across the country.
 Introduction
• In the past, some of the educational
policies that have been red flagged by
communities, though implemented, have
either failed to achieve their intended
purpose or died a natural death.
• Some policies have been largely ignored
by communities because they are not
aware of them.
• Other policies that have been welcomed
and supported by communities have
turned out to be a success.
 Introduction
• This presentation seeks to
demonstrate how communities have
influenced the success or failure of
educational policies in the past. The
following key terms and phrases
which are: policies, educational
policies and communities, will now be
defined.
 Definition of Key Terms
• Policy-According to Jenkins (1978)
A policy is ‘a deliberate system of
principles to guide decisions and
achieve rational outcomes’.
• In this presentation, policy therefore
refers to a philosophy by which
education is guided.
 Definition of Key Terms
• Educational Policy-According to Bell
and Stevenson (2000), education
policy refers to the collection of laws
and rules that govern the operation
of education systems.
• In this presentation, educational
policy therefore refers to rules that
govern the behaviour in educational
institutions.
 Definition of Key Terms
• Communities- Munon (1968) states
that a community is a relatively self
sufficient population, residing in a
limited geographic area and bound
together by feelings of unity and
interdependence.
• In this presentation, communities
include parents, guardians and
families who live villages, towns,
cities who have interests in education
by virtue oif them having children in
schools.
 Educational Policies

• Ten (10) educational policies will

be identified and the role of
communities in determining their
successes or failure will be
evaluated.
 Educational Policies
• Continuous Assessment
Learning Areas (CALAs)
• The National Pledge
• Corporal Punishment
• Extra Lessons & Incentives
• Compulsory Secondary
Education
 Educational Policies
• Non Formal Education
• Indiscrimination of Pregnant
Girls
• Fareme and Heritage Studies
• Education for all
• Use of electronic gadgets
 Continuous Assessment
Learning Areas
• Introduction of Tasks in 2017
Community involvement
• Abandonment of Tasks
• Introduction of CALA in 2021
Community involvement
• Possible Modification of CALA
 Continuous Assessment
Learning Areas
• The idea came pre-packaged within a
curriculum resented by parents with
some calling for its total abandonment
• The previous leadership in the ministry
of primary and secondary education did
not take time to ensure parents bought
into the idea, which gave rise to
discontent and misinterpretation.

Herald: March 2, 2018 Leroy Dzenga

 National Pledge
• In 2016 the Ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education under Dr Dokora
introduced the national pledge.
• It was meant to enable school children to
cherish their Zimbabwean identity and
value their heritage.
• There was resistance of the policy
especially by the Christian community of
Zimbabwe and Human Rights Lawyers
• Even the constitutional court ruled in 2020
ruled that the pledge was unconstitutional
and a violation of children rights.
 National Pledge
• The two anti national pledge proponents
(churches and NGOs) argue that the relevant
stakeholders were not consulted for the
national pledge’s introduction
• This uproar could have been avoided by the
ministry through consultations with parents
and the school children
• The church forgets the Christian Lord’s
prayer has been forced on all students since
time immemorial.

Sunday News: May 1, 2016 Richard Runyararo Mahomva

 Corporal Punishment
• It was banned in 1982 and reintroduced in
1985 as schools were said to be struggling
with disciplinary issues.
• It was banned again in 2018 in both
schools and homes.
• Communities (especially rural communities)
are still fighting for the reintroduction of
corporal punishment arguing that
disciplining a child for deviant behaviour
cannot be said to be punishment.
 Corporal Punishment
• Like most parents, educationalists and other
advocates, Dr Magadza said corporate
punishment should be upheld if children are to
be brought up as accountable and honest
citizens with the capacity to mould future
generations.
• According to Professor Itai Muhwati (UZ), as
Africans, we should avoid getting carries away
by foreign and inherited terminologies as they
do no tally with our cultural philosophies.

The Herald: June 21, 2019 Elliot Ziwira

Extra Lessons & Incentives
• Although communities were generally
happy with a policy that abandoned
Teachers Incentives, they were not
pleased with the policy that abandoned
Extra Lessons.
• With time, however, due to the
incapacitation of teachers and effects of
Covid 19 disturbances, communities have
developed a soft stance against both
incentives and extra lessons. Some schools
have found different means of paying
incentives to avoid being charged for
policy violations
Compulsory Secondary Education
• The policy meant all learners from
Grade 7 were to be automatically
promoted to Form 1 regardless of
whether they passed or not.
• Communities are generally comfortable
with that and were in total support of
the idea as they would like to see their
children reach Ordinary Level
• The policy was successfully
implemented especially in the urban
areas.
 Non Formal education
• It refers to part time schooling of
learners and was introduced as a ministry
policy in 2015.
• Schools were directed to establish non
formal education curricula.
• NFE has programs like basic literacy,
functional literacy, Zimbabwe adult basic
education, open distance learning
programmes.
• The programme was not taken up well by
the community despite its advantages.
 Non Formal Education
• Most pupils who fail Ordinary and Advanced
Level prefer private colleges to supplement,
despite the fact that they charge more than
formal schools
• We noted that whilst most schools are now
centres for non formal education, children
who are out of school, community members
are largely unaware of NFE policy provision.
This may be contributing to low enrolment in
non-formal programmes.

The Sunday Mail: March 26, 2017 Tendai Chara

• It should be noted, however that there
are some policies that stood even though
communities were in disagreement
• This is because they were addressing
human rights violations and were aligning
the education practises to the new
constitution
• These policies include:
1. Indiscrimination of pregnant girls in
schools
2. Fareme and Heritage Learning
 Indiscrimination of
Pregnant Girls
• In 2020, the government signed into law, a
policy that prohibit state schools from
banning pregnant students from attending
class.
• Before the new policy the girls were expel
for being pregnant while the boys involved
didn’t face any repercussions.
• This policy, however, managed to sail
through although opposed by comunities
 Indiscrimination of
Pregnant Girls
• The community views falling pregnant while
at school as shameful and embarrassing
hence most parents do not support the idea
of having pregnant child remaining in school.
• They view pregnant children as rotten apples
that should be removed from the class
before they spoil others.
• Communities need to be educated on the
importance of allowing their pregnant
children to continue with their education.

The Chronicle: March 22, 2022 Nqobile Tshili

 FAREME and Heritage
• Religious and Moral Education was replaced
by FAREME (Family, Religious and Morale
Education)
• Divinity and Bible Knowledge was replaced
by Heritage studies
• Heritage studies was made compulsory at
Ordinary Level
• The aim was to introduce a multi cultural
approach to teaching religious studies in
schools
 FAREME and Heritage
• Dokora rushed to implement the new
curriculum, this needs to be opposed by the
citizens. These are our children, we need to
have a thorough input into what will be
taught.
• The Ministry of Primary and Secondary
Education Plan to ensure that all religions are
given equal platform creating foundations for
improved social relations and co-existence
has been met with resistance.

Newsday: January 9, 2017 Silas Nkala

 Education for All
• This policy seeks to make education free
at certain levels and compulsory
• Most communities are in support of this
policy because it will reduce their financial
burden
• Though the policy has support of the
community, it is still failing to be
successfully implemented due to financial
constraints on the part of the government
• In 2023, the government has rolled out a
pilot program in 16 rural districts across
the country.
 Use of electronic gadgets
• Government policies do not prohibit use of
electronic gadgets in schools.
• Most communities are in favour of learners
bringing the electronic gadgets to schools
so that they can communicate with them.
• There has however been resistance from
the schools and teachers Unions.
• Policy permits and communities support but
the schools have resisted the move to let
the learners bring electronic gadgets in
schools
 Use of electronic gadgets
• Under the policies, mobile phones are allowed
in schools and used in class at the teacher’s
discretion.
• Dokora said, “We want them to have those
things, be it cell phones, laptops since we are
living in a world of technology.
• Anti school mobile phone use educationists
say cell phones promote limited learning,
behavioural problems, raise potential for
cheating and theft

The Herald: February 7, 2015 Herald Reporter

 Conclusion
This presentation has demonstrated
that, to a greater extent, without
involvement, support and acceptance of
government education policies by
communities, the success of the
education policies can not be guaranteed.
When communities stand against a
particular course of action, it is more
likely to fail to achieve its intended
purpose. There is are, however, other
stakeholders who are equally important
in determining the success of policies
 Conclusion

The government should, therefore,

involve all relevant stakeholders in
policy formulation and implementation.
This reduce unnecessary resistance
and guarantee the successful
implementation of the policy.
 References
• Jenkins, W. (1978) Policy Analysis: A Political and
Organizational Perspective. London: Martin
Robertson.
• Bell L and Stevenson H, Education Policy: Process,
Themes And Impact, Taylor & Francis, 2000
• Bryon Munon (1968) Changing Community
Dimensions Ohio State University Press,
Columbus, OH accessed from
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sg7/
eng521spring02/communitydefinitions.html on 6th
April 2023