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The purposes of this study were to examine the extent to which literature was used to discuss findings in selected papers from Zimbabwe Journal, and to compare the quality of reviews in this journal with other international journals. The study was largely qualitative in nature and used convenient sampling. In the study, the Zimbabwe Journal was chosen because of easy access. Three papers were conveniently selected based on personal interest and areas previously studied. Content analysis was used to compare the quality of discussion of literature in the sampled papers. Findings suggest that authors cite relevant literature extensively in the background to the study but use the same literature sparingly in the discussion of their results. Further, in the discussion of findings, the use of literature was limited to confirming what was already known, and does not show how the new studies reported contribute to knowledge. The study concluded that the journal studied was failing to attract authors who write high quality papers. Perhaps the journal should broaden its brief and target an international audience, because at present as evident in the three cases cited, the journal can only reach out to practitioners within (Southern) Africa.

While there is a substantial body of leaving care research, the theorization of care leaving has been more limited. Only a few studies have incorporated a life course perspective, mainly in Global North contexts where life course perspectives may differ significantly from those in the Global South, including Africa. Drawing on findings from a feasibility research study, this paper contributes to the emerging international literature on theorizing care leaving by applying a life course perspective to the experiences of youth leaving care in four African countries. The paper highlights how life course can be a useful conceptual framework for understanding the experiences of care leavers with an emphasis on four core concepts: biography, linked lives, waithood, and agency. Implications for policy and practice are outlined with a focus on interdependence, participatory practice, biography, and cultural transition planning alongside efforts to redress systemic, oppressive barriers facing care leavers in society.

The study sought to provide an understanding of the quality assurance challenges and opportunities faced by private universities in Zimbabwe. The study analyzed the factors determining provision of quality higher education in private universities and the resultant effects of failing to achieve the minimum acceptable standards. The author employed the case study method which falls within the qualitative research paradigm. The major techniques used were documentary analysis, direct observation and participant observation by the author. The results showed that financial constraints and poor corporate governance were the major factors leading to failure by private universities to uphold high quality standards. The study also highlighted the need for an effective national quality assurance agency in making sure that only institutions with the necessary financial, material and human resources should be allowed to operate as private universities.

Purpose: This paper evaluated the effectiveness of blended learning of business courses in higher learning institutions (HEIs) in developing economies. Design/methodology/approach: A survey, involving 215 learners, was used to collect data. A stratified sampling technique was used in this study. The data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Findings: In the blended learning approach, student attitudes, social presence, IT infrastructure and flexible learning are all favorable predictors of learner satisfaction. The impact of blended learning on learner satisfaction is further mediated by IT infrastructure, social presence and learner attitude. Practical implications: HEIs need to invest in planning and resource mobilization in order to realize several benefits derived from the use of blended learning. For optimal learning outcomes, this should be combined with training on IT infrastructure usage for both facilitators and learners. In order to assist learners in developing competencies through consistent use, institutions should also invest in tailored blended learning technologies. In addition, emphasis should be placed on training all actors in order to better manage change. Originality/value: This paper presents and ranks several dimensions for blended learning success in low-budget universities. In addition, the study contributes to the understanding of intervening variables necessary for enhancing the potential of pedagogy in maximizing learner satisfaction.

Inclusive education initiatives have been endorsed globally, especially by international development agencies. This study sought to get the views and experience of both in-service and trainee teachers about inclusive education and teacher training in the aftermath of the implementation of the 'new' Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education 2015-2022 in Zimbabwe. This new curriculum is said to be grounded in "Unhu/Ubuntu" philosophy. I use "Unhu/Ubuntu" philosophy as an evaluative and conceptual framework to examine inclusivity issues within the new curriculum. Drawing on a qualitative study involving content analysis, two key informant interviews and four focus group discussions on teacher education and inclusive education conducted in Manicaland province in the eastern part of Zimbabwe, findings highlight challenges faced in realising the "Unhu/Ubuntu" philosophical value of inclusivity in education. These impediments are unsurprisingly similar to those reported in other studies, both in Zimbabwe and in other countries. The paper identifies and highlights some of the reasons why inclusive education has remained elusive and makes some recommendations. It calls for teacher education premised on the indigenous "Unhu/Ubuntu" philosophy. In doing this, the paper contributes to debates on inclusive education and discussions on decoloniality of education in postcolonial states.

While research into PhD programs and doctoral students' experiences has increased in recent years, fieldwork is overlooked as a source of learning and support. In education, the focus of this paper, fieldwork remains laced with notions of the anthropologist gathering data in a place that is not their own, which narrowly construct the role of the novice and their expectations around 'doing' research. To demonstrate the relevance of these issues and key ethical tensions that they underpin, we explored our recent PhD fieldwork experiences within classrooms in Australian and Zimbabwean schools. By analysing fieldnotes from our lived experiences, we identified similarities between conducting fieldwork 'out there' (in Zimbabwe) and 'at home' (in Australia). These similarities highlighted a multitude of roles and dynamics associated with the researcher presence, as well as the importance of balancing complex needs during fieldwork. Our analyses also revealed how daily in situ interactions with participants--and others--were crucial to the development of our identities and data gathering practices. We argue that ongoing efforts to demystify fieldwork experiences are critical for understanding that 'the field' is not simply 'out there' and offer practical suggestions for current and future doctoral students to consider.

There is an increased demand to empower pre-service teachers (PSTs) with knowledge and skills regarding the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for teaching science. Using the technology acceptance model as theoretical lens, this paper explores the self-concept and views of PSTs in their final year of study regarding their competences to teach science with ICTs. A mixed methods design was used to collect data from 506 PSTs in two phases. In the first phase, all participants responded to a technological pedagogical and content knowledge questionnaire. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from a subsample of 28 participants. Results showed that PSTs still underestimate their competences to teach science with ICTs and the majority believe that different school situations and lack of use of ICTs by mentor teachers contribute to failure to build on their competences. Findings also revealed that PSTs have the highest perceived knowledge in technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) and lowest in technological knowledge. We suggest that PSTs have opportunities to develop their technological content knowledge (TCK) through self-directed learning for it to be on par with their TPK. A linear relationship in the development of PSTs' TCK and TPK would ensure improved instructional quality in science classrooms. This paper suggests different strategies to build PSTs' independency in the use of ICTs to teach sciences.

Literature has established that some learners encountered difficulties solving first order ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The use of error analysis in teaching ODEs is believed to make essential contribution towards calculus knowledge development. This paper therefore focuses on analyzing pre-service teachers' (PSTs) errors and misconceptions apropos of first order ODEs. The paper analyzed the nature of errors made in a test which was written by PSTs on the above topic. The test comprised various types of first order differential equations such as ODEs with separable variables, exact ODEs, ODEs that needed integrating factors, linear ODEs, and homogeneous ODEs. The purpose was to investigate the challenges faced by PSTs in various types of ODEs and the nature of misconceptions that they had in each particular type. This is a qualitative study that involved 63 PSTs who wrote a test on ODEs after being taught the topic for two weeks. The authors marked the work in order to ascertain the misconceptions and errors exhibited by the participants in the test. The PSTs' performance in the test was analyzed using the SOLO taxonomy and the Newman's theory mistake analysis. The study established that the topic was rather difficult for PSTs due to various reasons that included, among others, knowledge gaps in integration rules, algebraic computations and, in rare cases, differentiation, as well as misapplication of the rules of natural logarithms. This research therefore recommends that mathematics teacher educators ought to rather focus on the concept of integration and basic algebra before introducing the topic on ODEs to teachers on training.

University student activism is generally characterized by protests and demonstrations by students who are reacting to social, political, and economic challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic revolutionized university student activism, and closed the geographical space for protests and demonstrations. The pandemic locked students out of the university campus, thus, rendering the traditional strategies of mass protests and demonstrations impossible. The COVID-19-induced lockdowns made it difficult, if not impossible, to mobilise for on-campus demonstrations and protests. It seems the pandemic is the last nail in the coffin of on-campus student protests. This theoretical paper uses a collective behaviour framework to explain the evolution of student activism in Zimbabwe, from the traditional on-campus politics to virtual activism. It discusses the challenges associated with cybernetic activism. The paper argues that, despite challenges, Zimbabwean university student activists need to migrate to a new world of digital technology and online activism. In the migration to online activism, students activists face a plethora of challenges. On top of the already existing obstacles, activists face new operational challenges related to trying to mobilise a constituency that has relocated to cyberspace. Student activists utilize the existing digital infrastructure to advance their politics, in spite of a hostile state security system and harsh economic environment, and other operational challenges.

The volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous future world has highlighted the importance of critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation (4Cs) in today's classrooms. Framed by the Partnership for 21st-Century Learning (P21) Learning and Innovation theme, the study investigates the perceptions of the 4Cs by secondary school students from four schools in Zimbabwe. Two hundred and thirty-six (236) students participated in this quantitative study. Data were collected using online and paper questionnaires. Exploratory and first-order confirmatory analysis revealed a four-factor model with excellent fit indices. The second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the individual 4Cs were sub-constructs of a higher latent factor, Learning and Innovation (4Cs), where the students strongly endorsed collaboration, followed by communication, critical thinking, creativity, and innovation in decreasing magnitude. Age has a significant influence on critical thinking. The findings highlight the need for teachers to embed critical thinking and creativity activities within collaborative and communication learning activities.

This paper explored the link between information literacy (IL) and other factors that enable or inhibit the utilisation of research evidence in policymaking in Zimbabwe. The study assumes that if policymakers possess appropriate IL skills to access, assess, synthesise, and apply research evidence, they will naturally use the evidence to inform their policy decisions. Face-to-face interviews with 26 policymakers -- technocrats selected from the Parliament of Zimbabwe and two ministries, Industry and Commerce, and Youth, Sport, and Recreation -- produced evidence to inform the findings and conclusions. Data synthesis using thematic content analysis confirmed the findings. The results show that while IL skills are critical in enabling policymakers' use of research evidence, multiple other factors also influence the use of research evidence in policymaking due to the complexity of the process. The political and socioeconomic context plays a profound role because of the intricate and nonlinear nature of the policymaking process. Therefore, enhancing evidence use in policymaking revolves around strengthening IL skills at the individual level, including institutional and the broader policy ecosystem, by acknowledging and leveraging personal and institutional relationships. This insight illuminates the need to reorient IL programmes to link them to these other factors.

This paper presents a theoretical perspective on the importance of quality assurance in higher education and how those that are charged with the mandate to promote quality in universities can create quality consciousness across the university community. Quality is broadly defined for a general understanding of the concept and contextually defined to illuminate its relevance to higher education. The multi-model approach by Cheng and Tam (1997) and Gibbs (2010) is adopted in defining quality of education. The paper attempts to answer the following questions: Whose responsibility is quality assurance in the university? Why is there a greater need for quality assurance in higher education? What are the benefits of implementing robust quality assurance (QA) systems in the university? How can quality consciousness be created in the university community? Finally, recommendations are proffered on some of the approaches universities can adopt to create a quality culture, which is envisaged to translate into quality academic provision.

It is imperative that every student be empowered with Information and Communication Technology skills early in their academic careers. This is expected to help students achieve higher grades in their academic endeavours and prepare them for their future careers. Global trends have shown that information communication technologies appropriation in HE is critical in developing the 21st-century knowledge worker. This paper highlights motives for implementing an introductory module in ICT in HE. The paper further investigates implementation challenges, as well as measures to address these challenges. An interpretative philosophy using a case study research design is adopted for the study. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 lecturers who teach the module. These had been purposefully selected using a criterion of at least 2 years of experience teaching the university course. The importance of the module was articulated with major impediments in its implementation being highlighted. Data collected were transcribed, coded, and then analysed using thematic analysis. Results from the empirical study revealed eight key determinants for successfully implementing an introductory module in ICT. These were the availability of the physical infrastructure, availability of the technical infrastructure, availability of technical resources, aligning module content to subject area, implementing manageable classes, continuously updating module content to keep up-to-date with technological changes, fostering a positive attitude toward the module among students, and continuously training students and lecturers ICT skills through short courses and workshops. These key factors were used to conceptualise the study.

Informed by the critical theory, this paper contributes to debates on decolonising education as an agenda for a heritage-driven curriculum espoused by the current Zimbabwe competence-based curriculum. It focuses on the "O" level Food Technology and Design curriculum, an area that has not been much explored. The paper challenges visible and subtle hegemonic tendencies embedded in the school curriculum, making it difficult for school graduates to identify with their heritage. Using literature review and policy documents' analysis, it explores the place of indigenous leafy vegetables in the "O" level Food Technology and Design curriculum. Two observations are highlighted. Firstly, there is limited space provided for indigenous leafy vegetables in the "O" level Food Technology and Design curriculum. Secondly, not much has been emphasised on the nutritional value of indigenous leafy vegetables. To this end, we argue that the "O" level Food Technology and Design curriculum needs to be decolonised if more space is to be provided to indigenous leafy vegetables. To achieve this, advocacy and a deliberate shift towards the inclusion of indigenous dishes and particularly indigenous leafy vegetables in the teaching and learning of Food Technology and Design ought to be foregrounded.

This study undertakes a decolonial reading of the Zimbabwean history curriculum as an exemplar of how knowledge and pedagogy could be reframed as the basis for curricular justice in a global imaginary that is predicated on the epistemic hegemony of the Global North. The study which is framed as a conceptual research article introduces and argues for undoing "historicide" as a heuristic within the broader scope of the epistemic decolonial turn. The Zimbabwean history curriculum, as a unit of analysis, is referenced to exemplify entrapment within the Cartesian paradigm of knowing, despite the country's political independence. The argument developed is that history curricula that do not interrogate the geography and biography of knowledge entrench the hegemonic narrative of the coloniality of power and by extension colonial historiography. The paper suggests that the way out of the epistemic quandary that pervades the Zimbabwean history curriculum entails re-envisioning curricular practices in ways that ensure the emergence of a pluriverse in which we reclaim, restitute and legitimate our knowledges and histories, and affirm our ontological densities as equal to those of the Global North.

Purpose: Doing qualitative research with vulnerable urban populations such as street traders present significant methodological challenges, which many researchers may not be prepared to handle. This paper aims to provide a reflective account of the authors' fieldwork experiences while conducting a study with street traders in Harare, Zimbabwe. Design/methodology/approach: This paper draws data from a qualitative case study conducted with street traders in Harare's Central Business District (CBD). In this study, mixed qualitative methods were used including focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and photovoice. Findings: The study's findings suggest that researching street traders is a complex process that requires flexibility, adaptability and creativity of researchers across the following aspects: gaining access in unfamiliar research contexts, building rapport and trust with participants, managing ethical dilemmas and addressing power imbalances between researchers and participants. Originality/value: While there is a growing body of empirical research on street trading in the global south, there are limited studies that discusses the practical fieldwork experiences associated with conducting primary research with such vulnerable and dynamic urban populations. The authors highlight strategies and practical steps that can be taken to address these challenges. This paper emphasizes the need for flexibility and adaptability in researching street traders, as it is akin to exploring uncharted territories where conventional methodological templates may not be effective.

Since the year 2000, most parents have emigrated en masse due to a deepening socio-political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe, leaving their school-going children in the country. This paper assesses the experiences and challenges faced by these Left-Behind Learners (LBL), and ascertain the challenges faced by teachers in meeting the needs of these learners through inclusive education. The study followed a qualitative research approach with data collected at two high schools in Harare using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The results of the study indicate that LBL faced numerous challenges: excessive household chores, lack of help from guardians, inadequate representation at school meetings, and non-payment of school expenses. Teachers in the sample were not aware of the vulnerability of LBL, and were inadequately equipped to deal with this 'new' vulnerability. The study recommends the crafting of an inclusive education policy for the country so that new vulnerabilities are holistically dealt with, and that teachers be trained in inclusive education methodologies.

This mini-ethnographic case study examined the enactment of the mother tongue (MT) medium of instruction policy in teaching information and communication technology (ICT) to preschoolers or early childhood development (ECD) learners in a Zimbabwean school. The study employed an eclectic cognitive sense-making, ethnography of language policy and planning (ELPP), and technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework to look into practices of one preschool teacher, Mrs K, in her quest to enact the mother tongue policy. Despite her 26 years of experience in teaching preschoolers, Mrs K had not received adequate training on teaching ICT, a new subject in the ECD curriculum. While at first glance, she appeared to be abiding by the policy, some of her lessons proved to be teacher-dominated, and the classroom dialogue formulaic thus undermining the all-pervading learner-centred pedagogy on which the new curriculum edifice was premised. The paper thus explores the complex interplay of knowledge of content, technology and pedagogy; experience; cognitive and other contextual factors in impacting teacher sense-making and enactment of the mother tongue policy in teaching ICT to pre-school learners. One major factor which appeared to be influencing teacher understanding of policy was lack of ICT content knowledge and knowledge of how to teach ICT using both English and MT. The policy reformers seemingly rushed to implement the curriculum without capacitating teachers on how to use the mother tongue to teach ICT at ECD level. The study thus proposes strategies for teacher professional development in ICT, particularly for resource-constrained environments.

This paper analyses faculty experiences tackling global knowledge asymmetries by examining the decolonisation of higher education in Africa in the aftermath of the 2015 'Rhodes Must Fall' student uprising. An overview of the literature reveals a rich debate on defining 'decolonisation', starting from a critique of Eurocentrism to propositions of alternate epistemologies. These debates are dominated by the Global North and South Africa and their experiences of curriculum reform. Our focus is on the experiences of political scientists in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. These countries share the same Anglophone political science traditions but represent different political trajectories that constitute a significant condition for the discipline. The 26 political scientists we interviewed acted toward increasing local content and perspectives in their teaching, as promoted in the official strategies of the universities. They noted that what was happening in lecture halls was most important. The academic decolonisation debate appeared overambitious or even as patronising to them in their own political context. National politics affected the thematic focus of the discipline both as far as research topics and students' employment opportunities were concerned. Although university bureaucracies were slow to respond to proposed curricula changes, new programmes were approved if there was a market-based demand for them. International programs tended to be approved fastest. Political economy of higher education plays a role: dependency on foreign funding, limited national resources to conduct research and produce publications vis-à-vis international competition, and national quality assurance standards appeared to be most critical constraints for decolonising the curriculum.

With evidence of global climate change and ongoing ecological degradation, there is an urgent need to give more attention to sustainability within VET to ensure that VET does not remain complicit in reproducing the unjust and unsustainable trajectories of current economic and development pathways. At present, the VET literature does not adequately address these issues, hence the need for this special issue. In response, this paper offers a meta-reflective 'landscape view' of the sustainability within the VET 'field of knowledge' as it is emerging. Here, we use landscape review as a multi-dimensional, 'outside-in' view that provides a basis for understanding the broad context and helps to inform actionable next steps. This analysis we believe helps to highlight the key emerging priorities as well as what paths VET is taking on the journey to sustainability. The analysis shows that while some progress has been made in policy and practice related to the 'greening' of VET, much of the current response within VET to the environmental challenge reflects a minimalist reformist approach, characterised by 'bolt-ons' to existing institutional structures and curricula whilst leaving the fundamental beliefs in productivism, industrialisation and growth in place. Yet, as argued by researchers working on green economy, these beliefs are often complicit in co-creation of the environmental crisis.

With ever-increasing focus from policymakers on the potential of vocational education to provide skills for livelihoods and sustainability in the rural economy, this study set out to investigate attempts at curriculum reform by agricultural technical and vocational education and training providers in the context of the dual crisis -- 'climate and economic' -- in Zimbabwe. The question addressed is: How should the agricultural vocational education and training curriculum respond to the climate and economic crisis to ensure sustainability? The paper highlights enablers and barriers to curriculum responsiveness. Moll's model of curriculum responsiveness provided analytical lenses for the study. Data collection was through semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, document analysis and observations, and analysed thematically. The study revealed that the climate crisis in Zimbabwe has affected both government and non-government vocational training centres in several ways. However, the curriculum was 'one-size fits all', focused on the needs of a formal labour market. Such a labour market has been decimated by the economic crisis and climate break down. Hence, providers of agricultural vocational education in rural areas ought to consider re-engineering the curriculum to be more responsive to a range of drivers, including climate change, especially within the rural context.

Purpose: This study aims to examine academic staff's engagement with sustainable development goals (SDGs) in higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach: The triangulation, convergence model of the mixed methods research design was adopted as the strategy for inquiry. A total of 56 questionnaires and 25 interviews were used to collect the data, and this was buttressed by document review and use of secondary data obtained from Scival. Findings: The results show moderate levels of engagement of academic staff with the SDGs. However, SDGs familiarisation is not correlated with the rate of localisation. The lack of funding deflated political will by university management, demotivated academia and shrinking government support are the leading impediments to SDGs localisation. Research limitations/implications: The results could be improved by using a larger sample size equally distributed across disciplines. Triangulation of academics' views with those of students and non-academic staff could have improved the understanding of other dynamics involved in the localisation of SDGs by university teaching staff. Practical implications: The results point towards the need for a university-based framework that interweaves national, institutional, thematic, structural and personal aspects into the SDGs implementation matrix. The underlying determinants of successful localisation of SDGs by academia need to be addressed through a bottom-up approach. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first attempt in Zimbabwe to exclusively look at University teaching staff's engagement with SDGs.

In Zimbabwe, a range of actors are involved in education due to ongoing challenges of resourcing and funding schools. There are complex socio-political arrangements that result from private-public partnerships in the education system. Some schools are created and funded by individuals, and little is known about the tensions these funding structures create for school leaders and teachers. This qualitative study examined one school in Matabeleland North, using semi-structured interviews and observations across one term. It argues there are complexities created through the position of being a school 'founder' that shape a school's administration and leadership structures. Using the example of the school principal's role and two tensions that result from relationships between the principal and school founders, this paper argues that more attention needs to be made towards the arrangements of school funding and the conflicts and tensions that result from complex relationships of power between school founders and teachers.

Tertiary education institutions are seen to be increasingly incorporating industrial attachment as a training methodology. This is happening with the private and public sectors. It is of the view that during the industrial attachment phase, the student is accorded an opportunity to marry theory learnt in the classroom with the real field of work. Among other training methodologies, industrial attachment was found to be key with respect to professional etiquette doing extremely well in combination with other methodologies. This review paper covers history of industrial attachment, benefits derived from the Industrial Attachment Programme (IAP) by the students, tertiary education institutions, host organizations and the industry at large. The paper also highlights challenges faced by key players in the circle of the IAP. The review will assist in improving the way institutions of higher learning, government departments and host organizations conduct the programme to enhance the multiplier positive effects and minimize the costs of the IAP.

The paper examines the unending crises in higher education in Zimbabwe by situating the discussion in neoliberal theories and literature. Authoritarian classic neoliberalism, neopatrimonial neoliberalism, and kleptocratic neoliberalism are the three neoliberal strains utilized to interpret and discuss views from Southern African academics, specifically from Zimbabwe's university community. A recent survey study captured the experiences and perspectives of university teachers. Focusing on research and related academic activities, the paper examines and highlights the academe's challenging experiences. The paper identifies areas of academic research and pedagogy that have deteriorated because of the adoption of authoritarian neoliberalism. The discussion is located within a critical perspective that considers neoliberalism as an authoritarian ideology enforced on peripheral countries by the Global North and adopted in various forms by ruling elites in the non-Western world. The conclusion is that there is a complete failure of Zimbabwe's current economic and political trajectories resulting in the unending circle of crises in university education. Recommendations are suggested that question the logic of deploying neoliberal policies in peripheral countries such as Zimbabwe.

The need to include citizenship education in the school curriculum has been considered as significant for advancing democratic values, social justice, and human development. Debates on citizenship formation focus on various dimensions, such as human rights and global citizenship with limited focus on how "curriculum transposition" of citizenship education in teacher education has been undertaken. This paper argues that there is a need for citizenship education that advances democratic values, human capabilities, and social justice. It draws on 5 lecturer participants' voices in a case study on the operationalisation of National and Strategic Studies, a variant of citizenship education, in two Zimbabwean teachers' colleges. The paper investigates the form of citizenship cultivated by National and Strategic Studies, how this is achieved, and the challenges and opportunities to advancing critical citizenship among future teachers. The findings suggest that, despite aspirational moments of teaching and learning for critical thinking, curriculum and pedagogical practices represent an imperfect realisation of advancing critical citizenship. The paper proposes the need for curriculum and pedagogical practices in citizenship education to be more critical and democratic to form a robust form of citizenship that is democratic and critical.

This article considers science teaching and learning as may be understood through the integration of indigenous artefacts into physics curriculum in Zimbabwean schools. It comments significance of and elaborates on the issues raised in Nadaraj Govender and Edson Mudzamiri's paper entitled: Incorporating indigenous artefacts in developing an integrated indigenous-pedagogical model in high school physics curriculum: views of elders, teachers and learners. At the outset, I examine the study's conceptualisation of the terms indigenous knowledge (IK) and school science. Then, I offer an alternative view on the findings in light of the ubuntu theoretical framework, as used in other studies. The article foregrounds theoretical and methodological arguments put forward by Govender and Mudzamiri for the incorporation of IK artefacts with physics education in schools. After that, I analyse the applicability of the article's proposed integrated indigenous physics pedagogical model in the school curriculum. The paper ends with the contention that school science should be taught as a cultural way of knowing rather mere facts divorced from learners' culture.

The teaching and learning of religion in most post-colonial states take place on an ambivalent and contested terrain, which has resulted in the amputation of religion from some schools and contexts. The new curriculum in Zimbabwe, as a state-making project that is arguably devoid of, or has covert policy networks, has resulted in religious curriculum resistance. In this paper, we juxtapose two questions: What are the challenges of the new religious curriculum, and how can the international practice of teaching religion be infused in the curriculum to address the contested terrain and to improve the policy network among religious players? The paper is couched in decoloniality theory, of which one of the agendas is to shift the geography of knowledge. Policy networks in religious circles can exorcise coloniality, which centred religion on a contested terrain within the mainstream curriculum practice. The paper argues that the teaching and learning of religion cannot be left to the state to control; instead, there should endeavours for the policy network among religious players to be contextualised in relations that have respect for difference. There is a need to reconfigure religions, so that they face the lived realities of communities.

This theoretical paper taps into Ball's view of the terrors of performativity in order to critique examination mafiarisation in Zimbabwe. Of late, the education system in this country has experienced a number of trajectories, characterised by examination leaks, cheating, and a decline in confidence in Zimbabwean education. I critique examination mafiarisation, using Ball's perspective, and in so doing, I attempt to answer two questions: What are the causes of examination mafiarisation? What can be done to mitigate cheating in examinations? The argument of the paper is that the curriculum faces ambivalence, because of an overemphasis on performativity. Consequently, teachers, learners, and parents have resorted to immoral behaviour to ensure performativity is enacted. I also argue for a need to embrace a rebalancing of pedagogy, which is characterised by social justice education, promotion of morality, comprehensive education, and task-based assessment, to regain credibility for what was once perceived to be a thriving educational system.

People have different ways of developing knowledge about their 'selves', what has come to be called 'technologies'. Apart from technologies of production, of sign systems, and of power, the 'technology of the self' enables individuals to effect certain operations on their bodies, thoughts, behaviour, feelings and other ways of being. Such technologies involve the application of certain modes of training by individuals not only for the sake of acquiring skills but also for effecting change in their values, attitudes and beliefs. This paper argues that applied theatre practice involves not only the technology of the self but also of the other. Using the case study of a practice based project that was carried out among disabled students at the University of Zimbabwe, the paper examines how disabled students not only subverted ableist discourses of hopelessness but also acted upon their own bodies to assert their own agency, power and authority. Thus the focus will be specifically on the politics of the disabled body as a site of ableist perceptions that construct the disabled body in terms of lack, incapacity, pathology, deformity and deficiency.

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to report the findings of a synthesis of literature reviews and stakeholder interviews conducted in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The synthesis provides an overview of instructional leadership policy and practice in these six countries. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reports the findings of a systematic literature review, and participant interviews, in six sub-Sahara African countries. The research links to the British Council's initiative to develop instructional leadership in developing contexts, including the six countries featured in this submission. Findings: The findings show diverse policy and practice of instructional leadership in these African contexts. Three have no explicit policies on this important leadership construct, while the others have relevant policy statements but limited evidence of instructional leadership practice. Research limitations/implications: The research provides an overview of instructional leadership policy and practice in these six countries, but more school-based research is required to develop grounded evidence on whether and how this is practiced. The pandemic inhibited such school-based research in 2020. The study provides emerging evidence of the impact of instructional leadership on school and student outcomes, confirming what is known from international research. Practical implications: Developing awareness of how instructional leadership can improve student learning, linked to appropriate training, could lead to more effective schools. Social implications: The Sustainable Development Goals stress the importance of high quality education for economic and social development. Leadership is an important aspect of quality, and the research reported in this paper shows the potential for instructional leadership to enhance student learning. Originality/value: This is the first cross-national study of instructional leadership in sub-Saharan Africa.