Curriculum Development and Technical Services Department

The department is divided into two divisions namely the Curriculum Development Unit and the Technical Services (CDTS).

The mandate of CDTS is to improve the quality of the country’s curriculum which comprise of Technical and Vocational Education, Languages and Humanities, Physical Education, School Sport, Arts and Culture, Sciences and Mathematics and Audio Visual Services. Within this mandate, the institute takes initiatives to offer need based Human Resource Development programmes through appropriate modes and develop curricula and instructional resources. It also fosters research in the inter-disciplinary area of Curriculum Education.

In carrying out the above mandate, the department collaborates with, individuals, experts, captains of industry and commerce, educationists as well as national and international Institutes, Universities and other agencies interested in, and deriving benefits from, Curriculum education and training.

Core Activities

The centre carries out research, central planning and designing curriculum activities for academic programmes such as staff development, needs analysis, short course planning and dissemination, maintenance of training data, coordination of training programmes, and preparation of teaching learning materials for developmental projects. The centre develops curricula for all learning programmes and also revises the existing curricula at regular intervals. The centre offers training programmes in the core areas of curriculum development and evaluation, professional development of teachers, and assessment in consultation with the Ministry’s parastatal, the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC)

Vision

To be a hub for industrially relevant curriculum for Primary and Secondary Education that follows current approaches in curriculum design for socio-economic development.

Mission

To be a centre where any innovative, equitable, quality, inclusive, relevant and competence-driven education Curriculum can be designed, developed, tested and evaluated for Infant, Junior, Secondary and Non-Formal Education.

CDTS seeks to achieve its mission through:

• Offering quality, flexible, relevant and cost-effective Curriculum in various modes including web based one.
• Demonstrating leadership by organising dynamic and leading edge programmes to meet the changing needs of the Industry and the Community.
• Developing Ministry’s nerve centre, a department that provides effective and efficient services to the teachers.
• To help in solving problems in Curriculum and Education through research, development and extension activities.
• To establish and foster collaboration with industry, state, national and international Institutes, Universities and other agencies committed to the development of Curriculum in the country. CDTS carries out the following:
  1. Acts as a centre for offering quality training programmes for teachers and learners as per needs of the client system, covering the entire Primary and Secondary Education system;
  2. Arranges training of teachers in syllabus interpretation and curriculum design; Undertakes systemic research to provide inputs for development of curriculum training systems and management;
  3. Undertakes and guides research for development of innovative methods, processes and practices for improvement of teaching-learning environment in education institutions;
  4. Designs new instructional system and strategies for production of multimedia learning materials;
  5. Develops and disseminates learning resources like Textbooks, Laboratory Manuals, Video Programmes, Computer Assisted Instructional Multimedia Packages to schools and non-formal institutions and other organisations;
  6. Collaborates with community and industries in organising Continuing and Non-formal education programmes and providing extension services;
  7. Establishes learning area panels for serving the specific needs of each individual learning area;
  8. Provides support services to Government of Zimbabwe schemes related to education system and as entrusted by MoPSE and Government of Zimbabwe, from time to time; and
  9. Cooperates with educational or other institutions in any part of the world having similar objectives wholly or partly similar to those of the institute by exchange of teachers and scholars and generally in such manner as may be conducive to their common objects.

STRUCTURE FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES