About 200 students have graduated with diplomas in sign language, visual and performing arts with 90 percent already working as primary and secondary school teachers.
The graduates were trained by the Music Consultancy Academy (MCS) under programmes designed to equip educators with specialised skills.
“This initiative is a response to the government's skills drive,” the founder and director of MCS Music Academy, Tavonga Assiel Chipadza, said.
“As the private sector, we have embraced this thrust by equipping teachers with the requisite skills to address challenges in the classroom and contribute to national development, drawing from the heritage-based curriculum, which is now fundamental to our education system,” he said.
He said inclusion of Sign Language in the programmes is expected to promote greater inclusion in schools, while training in music, dance, visual and performing arts and adjudication is intended to broaden opportunities for both educators and learners.
National Arts Council of Zimbabwe Harare provincial arts manager, William Ndinde, said arts education was critical to promoting inclusion and creating opportunities for learners from diverse backgrounds to develop their talents.
“Visual arts, design and media arts education is dedicated to promoting excellence, equity and inclusivity for all learners by providing differentiated educational opportunities,” he aid.
“This includes addressing the needs of underserved students, often from marginalised groups based on race, culture, language, gender identity and disability.”
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Training practising teachers in specialised disciplines is expected to strengthen schools’ capacity to offer arts-related subjects while enabling them to better cater for learners with diverse educational needs.
