BARRIERS TO THE EFFECTIVE CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION: SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS SPEAK OUT
Abstract
The study focused on the barriers tothe implementation of the updated curriculum in Zimbabwean secondary schools. A case study design was used in Goromonzi District in Mashonaland East Province of Zimbabwe. Cluster, random and purposive sampling wereused to select 45 teachers and five school heads from a population of 825 teachers and 35 school heads. The sample included teachers and school heads from different educational contexts: boarding, urban, rural, mine, farm, and resettlement schools. NVivo Version 10 was used analyse data generated from semi-structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The key barriers to curriculum implementation included scarcity of human and non-human resources, inadequate remuneration, unacceptable working conditions, lack of knowledge in curriculum issues, and lack of standardization in the management of curriculum change, and political interference. The study recommended that the government must recruit enough teachers to implement the curriculum in the schools; there is also need for provision of resources such as adequate buildings, information, and communication technology (ICT) gadgets, and electricity. Teachers must be paid meaningful salaries and their working conditions improved to reflect their status in society. Teachers must be adequately prepared to handle curriculum issues. Political interference in schools should be minimised.
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