Biriwasha Agriculture in the school curriculum in Zimbabwe
1. Lydia Biriwasha
FAC Early Career Fellow
Title: Agriculture in the School
Curriculum in Zimbabwe
2. Research Objectives
• To analyse how agriculture is taught and portrayed in
primary and secondary schools in rural Zimbabwe, and
• To explore the impact of this exposure on young
people’s perception of agriculture as a career and
livelihood choice.
3. Research question
• How does the Curriculum shape or relate to young
people’s aspirations and expectations?
4. Methodology
• Interviewed 40 primary and secondary school
pupils in Mutare district
• Framings and narratives
• Analysed the primary and sec Agric syllabus
• Visited MoE, CDU and ARC
5. Primary school Syllabus
• Agriculture is offered under a broad subject called
Environmental Science.
• The aims and objectives cover health, environmental
& agricultural issues.
• Agriculture and farming are not directly treated in this
syllabus – the philosophy behind this is probably that
one has to understand their environment and be able
to take good care of it first.
• A few agricultural topics are highlighted in the syllabus
which include: water, soil, grazing, crops and animals.
6. Secondary school syllabus
• Presented in three documents for: Junior, Ordinary
and Advanced levels.
• Agriculture is presented as a source of livelihood that
can lead to personal & community development.
• Pupils are exposed to theory & practice.
• Only schools assessed by the MoE as being equipped
to offer the course of practical work both in the
laboratories and in the field can offer Agriculture.
• The syllabus touch on: General Agric, Crop Husbandry,
Livestock Husbandry, Farm & Machinery and Agric
Economics.
7. ‘Reading’ Agriculture in Primary & secondary school text bks
• Agric experiments can be done by anyone despite
their gender.
• Manure, old & rotten grass, and other decomposable
material – portray agriculture as unpleasant & dirty
work.
• Extension workers have a meeting but women are not
present.
• Simple and low-tech machines & tools – agriculture
work is laborious, boring and unsophisticated.
• Machinery such as tractors and harvesters are only
operated by men.
8.
9. Findings
• Interviews with 40 pupils in five primary and
secondary schools reviewed that:
• Agriculture is presented as a profession for men not
women (85% - 34)
• Agriculture in schools is perceived as forced labour &
laborious. (96% - 38)
• 8 out of 10 head teachers reported having difficulties
finding agriculture teachers.
• There were no primary text books in the 5 schools
visited – the teachers relied on secondary level text
books.
10. Conclusions
• Agriculture is primarily about looking after the
environment as opposed to an exciting, modern
livelihood or career choice.
• Agriculture is presented as unsophisticated and
backward.
• Agriculture is presented as a ‘career’ for men.
• The lack of teaching staff plays a role in creating
different attitudes in pupils’ interest for agriculture.
