CONCEPT PAPER: REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ACADEMIES OF EXCELLENCE IN ZIMBABWE

March 1, 2010

Concept Paper regarding Academies

By Senator David Coltart

1 March 2010


Background

On 28th October 2009, the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture (the “Ministry”) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) with Teach Zimbabwe

e Trust (TZT).  The MoU resulted from the discussions between stakeholders and the Ministry on how best to partner to improve and expand the educational system in Zimbabwe, with specific focus on the establishment of Academies of Excellence. This comes in the wake of the numerous challenges that the education system faces following the many years of economic decline. Due to the deepening poverty, many talented pupils from poor rural and peri-urban areas have failed to access quality education or any education altogether. The establishment of the Academies is intended to avert further loss of talented disadvantaged students and is a policy priority for the Ministry.

Context

The years following Zimbabwe’s attainment of political independence in 1980 saw the rapid expansion and development of the education system. The expansion that took place in Zimbabwe’s education system between 1980 and 1995 was unparalleled elsewhere in the world. This ‘education miracle’ was achieved and sustained through a massive investment by Government and the international donor community in school infrastructure, teaching and learning materials, equipment and other resources, accompanied by a massive advocacy for participation in education by both the young and old. Aggressive teacher training programmes and attractive salaries ensured the provision and retention of a highly motivated and skilled teaching and administrative support staff in schools. Meanwhile, communities, local authorities, trusts and foundations, corporate bodies (mines, companies, farming enterprises) as well as individuals complemented Government efforts by investing in school infrastructure, learning materials and equipment. By 1990 Universal Primary Education (UPE) had virtually been achieved, and the high standards of education earned the country ‘flagship’ status among the world’s nations in education development.

The challenge

Since the mid 1990s, Zimbabwe has experienced a precipitous economic decline that led to a rapid deterioration in the delivery of basic services, with education being one of the worst affected.  Resources for the maintenance of school infrastructure were not available.  School infrastructure fell into a state of general dilapidation and there was a critical shortage of teaching and learning materials and equipment. Meanwhile, as the local currency collapsed with the economy, staff salaries were eroded so severely that many staff  failed to turn up for duty, with some leaving the profession and the country altogether. Without teachers schools could not operate, and so attendance fell and dropout rates increased sharply. In every respect, the entire education system in Zimbabwe had reached the point of near-collapse.

Opportunities for recovery

The current period presents many opportunities for the rapid restoration of the education sector. The Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed on 15 September 2008 and the subsequent formation of the Inclusive Government on 13 February 2009 gave impetus to positive changes in the country’s political and socio-economic landscape. In March 2009, the Short-Term Emergency and Recovery Programme (STERP) was launched, and this paved the way for the country’s rehabilitation, with the education system taken as one of the key priorities during this transitional period. More recently, the Medium Term Plan (MTP) seeks to build upon previous efforts to ensure a more rapid and sustained recovery of the education sector. STERP II published in December 2009 specifically adopts the Academies concept as outlined in this paper.

Among the many opportunities that Zimbabwe can capitalize on are the following:

  • Zimbabwe’s past experiences that enabled it to achieve flagship status in Africa, with the educational standards that the country had reached only 15 years ago standing as a beacon to guide current and future efforts
  • the lessons Zimbabwe can draw from the wealth of its own experiences as well as those of other countries that emerged from crisis
  • prioritization of investment in education by Zimbabwean individuals, households and families, with such commitment often exhibited in the strong tradition of community support for school development
  • the existence of school structures which, although now in varying degrees of disrepair, remain solid and restorable at a modest cost
  • the stabilization of the economy that saw most teachers who were still in the country resuming their duties and playing an active role in the restoration of the education system
  • considerable goodwill from development partners and other stakeholders who have been forthcoming with substantial amounts of financial, material, technical, and other forms of assistance to help the Ministry restore the delivery of education services

The restoration of the education system will require the adoption of cost-efficient and effective strategies by government, communities and partners. The ultimate aim is to utilise all these opportunities to re-build schools to standards that ideally match or surpass those of the pre-2000 era.

Objectives

The overall goal of the “Academies of Excellence” is to ensure rapid and sustainable recovery and development of the education system, and thus curtail any further loss of national talent, especially among disadvantaged students, through concrete, realistic and demonstrable returns on sufficiently focused investment in the education sector. The specific objectives of the initiative are:

  1. to immediately halt any further loss of the talent that is resident in young, promising Zimbabweans by immediately identifying talented[1] pupils from a variety of disadvantaged backgrounds, nurturing such talent, and developing it for the long-term benefit of Zimbabwe;
  1. to ensure the holistic reconstruction of selected, targeted secondary/high schools and primary schools as part of the recovery process in the education sector; and
  1. to demonstrate strategies that can realistically be employed by all schools in Zimbabwe in order to achieve quality, equity and relevance in a sustainable way, including increased participation of parents and the private sector through Public / Private Partnerships agreements; and

4.       to operate as a focal point for local communities and as a benefit to the cluster of schools

in particular provinces which feed children and access facilities.

Strategy

In every post-crisis situation, everything becomes a priority but because resources are often limited, the Ministry has to prioritize. In this regard, the Ministry has outlined three main policy objectives, namely:

  1. Restoration of basic education. This focuses on protecting every child’s right to gain access to and participate in basic education of a good quality, with an emphasis on basic literacy, numeracy and essential life skills. This is supported by a definite set of attainable goals that focuses on curricular reforms (more focus on technical and vocational education), the provision of essential textbooks to every school, and creation of a more conducive learning environment, particularly one that promotes good hygiene (e.g. the repair of toilets). As part of the process of decentralization, schools will have greater control over the financial resources allocated to them by central government.
  1. Establishment of Academies of Excellence. These are institutions that will be established out of existing government schools and, within a framework of immediate recovery imperatives, as well as long-term development needs of the education sector, create ideal conditions for the fullest development of talent through an inclusive approach that specifically caters for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. This concept is based on similar strategies adopted elsewhere such as the Malasyian “smart schools” programme.
  1. Creation of enabling environment for non-government education. This entails the creation of conditions that will ensure that the vast potential there is among non-government players to contribute towards the provision and development of education is fully tapped. However, such contributions will be made within a regulatory framework that ensures adherence to the core values already articulated by Government.

The first and third policy objectives are being addressed through other mechanisms being pursued by the Ministry.  The partnership with TZT seeks to address the second objective, namely, the establishment of Academies of Excellence.

Academies of Excellence

The Ministry has entered into a public private partnership with Teach Zimbabwe Trust for the establishment of Academies of Excellence by rehabilitating existing government secondary and primary schools.    The schools targeted for transformation into Academies of Excellence will have to meet certain criteria as described more fully below, including extensive academic, sporting and cultural infrastructure and boarding facilities.  In addition, some of the academies will have centers of excellence to teach particular academic, sporting or artistic disciplines.  For example, an Academy may focus on the teaching of foreign languages or the performing or visual arts; or on the coaching of specific sporting disciplines.

Academies Scholarship Fund

A critical component of this initiative is a programme which will identify and channel into each Academy, academically, athletically and artistically talented but disadvantaged children from the province in which the Academy has been established.  Strict attention will be paid to the objective and fair identification of the students in order to build gender equity and assurance of a steady throughput of girls.  Equally important, will be the creation of a scholarship fund to ensure that these disadvantaged talented students will be able to attend the Academies. Each disadvantaged student will receive a full scholarship covering school fees (tuition, boarding, levy, examination, etc), uniforms and equipment (school, athletics, and arts/culture), textbooks, stationery and materials as well as money to cover other basic expenses.  The Minister after consultation with the Permanent Secretary and Senior Directors, will appoint a board to manage the scholarship fund.

These Academies of Excellence will support the central policies that have guided the Ministry’s efforts over the last three decades. They will re-enforce the quest for expansion of access, enhancement of quality and relevance, and gender equity. This they do by offering all pupils – especially disadvantaged pupils from rural and peri-urban areas who would otherwise find it difficult to access a good secondary education – conditions that maximize learning opportunities within a broad curriculum framework that recognizes diversity of talent in the academic field, in technical/vocational subjects, and in the sporting, artistic and cultural disciplines.

Approximately 40% of the intake at the Academies will be reserved for talented disadvantaged children.  However, the overarching goal is that every talented disadvantaged child will have access to quality education by being able to attend an Academy of Excellence. The balance of places will be filled by talented children whose parents/guardians can afford to pay.

Points System / Admission Board

A points system will be devised to ensure that there are objective criteria which will govern the admission of students to academies which will govern the admission of students to academies. For example, points will be given for grades obtained in national examinations, representation in national and provincial sport teams and grading of artistic talent. The point system will seek to ensure that children can gain admission through demonstrating outstanding talent in any single area (i.e. academic, athletic or artistic) or moderate talent in multiple areas. The points admission system will be jointly operated by the Academic Scholarships Board, the relevant Provincial Education Authorities and representatives of sporting, artistic and cultural organizations.

Implementation plan

The implementation of the Academies of Excellence intervention will require the following actions:

  • Selection of government schools to be transformed into Academies of Excellence.

Government schools will be selected using the following criteria; Availability of, at a minimum, the following infrastructure:

  1. Boarding facilities
  2. Specialist subject rooms such as science laboratories
  3. Library
  4. Sports facilities to cater for a wide number of sports including football, hockey, cricket, rugby, netball, basketball, swimming and tennis
  5. Potential for e-connectivity
  6. Access to water and electricity
  7. School hall including facilities for the pursuit of the arts.

-         Gender equity -  where feasible,  1 girls school and 1 boys school will be chosen in each province

  • Conducting a needs assessment. A detailed assessment of type and level of inputs required for upgrading will be conducted for each selected school, and a timetable and budget will be prepared.
  • Upgrading and construction of physical facilities.
  • Identification of talented but disadvantaged pupils. This involves: the development of criteria (including the development of the objective based admission system referred to above) for the identification of competencies that constitute ‘talent’ in the field of academic subjects, in technical/vocational subjects, and in sporting, artistic and cultural disciplines; setting up structures for the identification process; putting in place monitoring mechanisms to ensure transparency, equity and efficiency in the selection process; actual selection of pupils.
  • Putting in place school management systems. Given the critical role of good school-based management processes in school improvement programmes, this process will involve: setting up structures for the management processes in the Academies (involving the selection and appointment of school heads with the requisite qualifications and proven management skills and experience); developing guidelines for management processes; identifying management support structures, staff and processes; development of systems and mechanisms for professional development and performance monitoring and evaluation;
  • Identification and appointment of good Heads and teachers. To ensure effective teaching and learning, good teachers will be identified and appointed to the Academies of Excellence; a comprehensive incentive system to ensure the attraction and retention of good teachers as well as good teaching performance will be put in place; development of  systems  and mechanisms for professional development, performance monitoring and evaluation.
  • Psycho-social support to pupils. Academies of Excellence inherently result in high levels of stress and other behavioral problems for both students and administration. To address this guidance counselors will be identified and appointed; links with mental health professionals and other specialists who can provide services as required will be established.
  • Linkages to local and external institutions. In order for Academies of Excellence to tap into the global experiences of similar institutions and benefit from the latest trends and developments in education, they will be twinned to similar institutions in other countries. This can be done through continuous exchange of experiences, sharing resources, and participating in carefully designed teacher and student exchange programmes.
  • Collaboration with sports and cultural associations. Within the country, Academies of Excellence will be linked to sporting, artistic and cultural associations so that pupils can be exposed to expanded opportunities for the development of talent, get mentoring, training, coaching from experts and other talented individuals, and be aware of the latest developments and trends in these fields.  For example, partnerships will be sought with sports associations so that they may assist with the rehabilitation of sporting facilities the provision of competent coaches and the identification and development of athletic talent.
  • Collaboration with Embassies. Linkages with Embassies will be explored especially for the development of centers of excellence within the Academies for foreign languages and the arts.

  • Collaborating with old boys/girls and parents. In order to ensure that this has community buy in and back up for the programme close linkages will be developed with old boys and girls and their associations and parents of children attending the selected schools. Parental and old boy/girl involvement in the running of schools will be encouraged in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.

Time frame

The development of the Academies of Excellence will adopt a phased approach that ensures a balance between the need to effect reforms in targeted schools on the one hand, and the need to maintain a measure of stability and continuity on the other. The first phase will therefore be implemented over a six-year period, beginning with a focus on Form One students in the first year of secondary education, and ensuring their through-flow to the sixth year. The first year of implementation will be January 2011, to coincide with the beginning of the school year. The first phase will last up to December 2017.

In the first year of operation, namely 2011, twenty (20) government secondary schools will be identified for rehabilitation and conversion into Academies of Excellence, two in each of the ten provinces.  Each year, additional schools will be identified, alternating each year between primary and secondary schools. Accordingly in 2012, the focus will shift to the identification of 20 government primary schools which meet the criteria mentioned above with a view to starting operation of 20 primary schools in 2011. This process will continue until all the schools which meet the criteria have been rehabilitated.

Critical timelines for Year 1

Action Item

Due Date
Identification of the 20 schools (see map) 31 March 2010
Needs assessment of each targeted school 31 May 2010
Fundraising road show May 2010 –June 2010
Initiation of tender process and identification of contractors for physical upgrading and expansion July 2010
Commencement of physical upgrading September 2010
Establishment of Scholarship Fund board September 2010
Selection and placement of students December 2010
Launch of first 20 Academies January 2011

Roles and responsibilities

The key players in this project are the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture and TZT, and their roles will be complementary.

  1. 1. Role of TZ Trust

TZT will appoint an implementing partner.TZT and that partner will enter into a contract outlining the latter’s responsibilities and obligations in accordance with the MoU and this Concept Paper.  The implementing partner will have control of and responsibility for the resources needed to competently and transparently deliver the services.  The implementing partner will have first right of refusal to deliver contracts on behalf of TZT.

TZ Management Services will be primarily responsible for the mobilization of funds and the day to day management of the project in accordance with the policies and guidelines agreed to between the Ministry and TZT.   It will seek financial and other material support from international organizations, donor communities, and international and local private sector.  However, TZ Management Services shall not be legally bound to mobilize the required financial and material resources.  TZT will be responsible for the proper accounting of all funds received and accounting transparency to donors and the Ministry.

TZT and TZ Management Services will work closely with the Ministry to ensure proper coordination and agreement on project plans. More specifically, in accordance with the MoU, TZT shall be responsible for the below:

(a)                ensure the repair/expansion of the physical infrastructure of schools selected for the Academies of Excellence programme;

(b)               ensure the rollout of a ICT competencies program for ICT teachers at the Academies of Excellence;

(c)                identify disadvantaged talented students in rural and peri-urban areas in consultation with the Ministry and develop a scholarship programme for the integration of such students into the Academies of Excellence;

(d)               manage & administer incentive schemes for schools & Ministry staff in Academies of Excellence;

(e)                co-ordinate sector players involved in the activities referred to above ;

(f)                 recruit qualified professional local staff and expatriate staff in the activities referred to above;

(g)                enhance the academic and technical proficiency of students in Academies of Excellence; and

(h)                ensure the professional development of teachers and administrators in Academies of  Excellence.

  1. Role of the Ministry

The Ministry will assume overall responsibility for the design of the intervention, ensuring that the Academies of Excellence are national institutions that promote Ministry’s policy goals. More specifically, the Ministry will:

(a)                Select schools, pupils, appoint school heads and teachers;

(b)               Provide management oversight, monitor and evaluate overall performance of the Academies; and

(c)                Meet the basic salaries of all staff on the authorized establishment.

(d)               Monitor the activities of TZT and its partner entities to ensure that the activities are consistent with the policy goals of the Ministry;

(e)                Appoint the members of the board which will select talented disadvantaged children who qualify for the scholarship and place such children in Academies.

(f)                 Coordinate the involvement of educational, sporting, artistic and cultural bodies and associations in the schools selected.

Accounts

TZT will establish a bank account in which all funds received for the project will be deposited. Quarterly and annual reports will be prepared by an independent and international chartered and professional accounting firm.  All such reports will be submitted to the Ministry and the relevant governmental authorities in accordance with the Private Voluntary Organization Act. The books of TZT and TZ Management Services will be available for inspection by the Ministry and Ministry of Finance at times mutually agreed to by the parties.

Indicative Budget

The Ministry will require a minimum of US$2.8 million to rehabilitate each Academy of Excellence.  This includes scholarship for approximately 600 students, teacher incentives, upgrading and expansion of physical infrastructure, IT programme and all other administrative costs.  A more accurate assessment of the funding requirements of each selected school will be determined once the schools have been identified and the needs assessment done.

The major cost items making up the budget are the following:

  1. Funding for physical rehabilitation of schools and their facilities
  2. Funding for scholarship programme –  full scholarship to be provided – tuition, board, textbooks, clothing, extracurricular expenses, travel
  3. Supplemental payments for administrative and teachers salaries
  4. Professional development
  5. IT systems
  6. Libraries

Senator David Coltart

MINISTER OF EDUCATION, SPORT, ARTS AND CULTURE

HARARE

1st March 2010

[1] ‘Talent’ includes academically and/or athletically and/or artistically talented children.