The Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) recently convened a comprehensive workshop to review the implementation of the Zimbabwe National Qualifications Framework (ZNQF). Held over two days in Kadoma from 19-20 March 2024, the workshop brought together key stakeholders, including the three ZNQF implementing authorities, namely the ZIMCHE, Higher Education Examinations Council (HEXCO) and the Zimbabwe Secondary Examination Council (ZIMSEC), alongside representatives from professional bodies.
The primary objective of the implementation review workshop was to evaluate the progress achieved since the launch of the ZNQF by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, in 2018. Additionally, the workshop sought to identify gaps in implementation and map a way forward.
Professor Kuzvinetsa P. Dzvimbo, CEO of the ZIMCHE, highlighted the critical role of the ZNQF in the transformation of Zimbabwe’s education system from primary to university level. Emphasising its potential to standardise the curriculum across all educational tiers, he stressed its significance in ensuring a consistent depth and breadth of knowledge and skills throughout the system.
Addressing workshop participants, Professor (dr.) Amon Murwira, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development (HTEISTD), underscored the ZNQF’s pivotal role in aligning the country’s education system with national development goals. He emphasised its importance in providing the necessary impetus for Zimbabwe’s industrialisation and modernisation, as outlined in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1) and National Vision 2030.
“The Zimbabwe National Qualifications Framework (ZNQF) integrates education and training into a unified structure of qualifications recognised locally and internationally … The intended result of all this is an industrialised and modernised Zimbabwe, that is an upper middle-income economy, standing tall and proud and never wasting time doing things that do not work”, said the Minister.
Minister Murwira highlighted the ZNQF’s function in facilitating seamless transitions between basic, tertiary, and higher education frameworks, acknowledging prior learning and enabling student mobility. He emphasised the framework’s mandate to establish Minimum Bodies of Knowledge and Skills (MBK/S), Qualification Standards, and Skills Proficiency across all educational sectors, aiming to enhance accessibility, efficiency, and relevance.
In conclusion, the Minister urged the ZIMCHE to spearhead the alignment of the ZNQF with the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF) and the ratification of the Global and Addis Ababa Conventions. He called upon the ZIMCHE, HEXCO, and ZIMSEC to collaborate closely with professional bodies to ensure that Zimbabwe’s education system contributes effectively to Zimbabwe’s national capability.
Among those who attended the workshop were Professor Fanuel Tagwira, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of HTEISTD and various representatives from the Ministry of HTEISTD, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund, National Manpower Advisory Council, Tertiary Education Service Council, Council for Social Workers, ZIMCHE, HEXCO and ZIMSEC.