CSTL Sharing Meeting 2016
Mainstreaming CSTL through Policy
and Advocacy
C. C. Kateera
Zimbabwe
Coastlands Hotel – Durban, South Africa
22-24 November 2016
Background To The CSTL Programme in
Zimbabwe
• Zimbabwe joined the CSTL family in 2014 with preparatory
activities to start the programme commencing in 2015 through the
selection and pre-assessment of the 15 pilot schools to determine
how CSTL compliant they were. For Zimbabwe CSTL was not a
new programme as the country had been implementing The Child
Friendly Schools programme as well as programmes such as
Learning Without Fear, which were all aimed at creating a
conducive learning environment. CSTL thus came as one of those
programmes aimed at improving the welfare of the child,
especially vulnerable children.
Background (contd)
• Zimbabwe has a very large number of schools (8751). A pilot
of just fifteen (15) schools in this huge mass would therefore
make the programme quite inconsequential. As a country we
had to come up with a strategy that would see the
programme making an impact and meaning to a wider
population of our education system. This has been done
through a series and variety of activities and programmes.
Establishment of Structures
• For the programme to be better understood and implemented, it was found
necessary to establish structures that would facilitate such implementation.
• Advocacy was first done with Senior Management personnel culminating in
the establishment of a national level structure, the National Technical
Education Working Group (NTEWG)
• The next level structure is the Provincial Technical Education Working Group
(PTEWG), a replica of the national level structure in both composition and
functions in each of the ten provinces in the country.
• The District Technical Education Working Group (DTEWG) is based at the
district level of our structures and also composed in similar fashion as the
other two levels above it.
Establishment of Structures (contd)
• At school level is the final and most critical of the structures
as far as programme implementation is concerned, the
School Development Committee (SDC), as it is at the level
where the child is generally always present.
• Let it be pointed out that these structures have always been
in existence and that it was found prudent to use them for
the implementation of CSTL as one of the many other
programmes.
Mainstreaming CSTL Through Policy
Harmonization
• Zimbabwe has a number of policy documents and policies that
speak to CSTL and thus enable ease of implementation of the
programme.
• The Constitution of Zimbabwe 2013, has it enshrined in Chapter 4
section 81 that spells out the Rights of Children and thus acts as
the guiding principle in the implementation of CSTL since it is the
supreme law of the land.
• We are at an advanced stage in trying to align the Education Act
to our New Constitution and other related policy documents so
that they too speak to the Rights of Children.
Sensitization on CSTL
The Regional Coordinator
for Zimbabwe and
Swaziland stresses a point
during one of the many
trainings that she
conducted in Zimbabwe.
CSTL Advocacy Activities
• As mentioned earlier on, Zimbabwe realised that due to the size of the
country and due to the fact that CSTL is not an entirely new programme,
it was important to pilot and at the same time scale up the programme
as the necessary structures already exist within our education system.
• Funds that were aimed to do activities in the laboratory schools have
since been stretched to cover a larger population of the schools.
Through the Cluster Schools concept CSTL has been taken to more
schools.
• For example funds earmarked for the induction of teachers at the
laboratory school benefitted more teachers through the cluster trainings.
Representatives were drawn from each of the schools in the cluster.
After the trainer of trainers workshop, these representatives went back
to train teachers in their schools.
Advocacy Preparations
The Master Trainer and
Regional Coordinator
prepare the venue in
readiness for the
workshop.
CSTL Advocacy Activities (cont’d)
• A total of (350) teachers were thus trained as trainers of trainers.
These teachers then went back and reached out to over (2 000)
more teachers in schools within their clusters.
• For the CSTL programme to succeed, there is need for massive
resource mobilisation. At school level the community is
responsible for resource provision and mobilisation. It was
therefore found prudent to include chairpersons of the School
Development Committees in the induction of teachers
workshops. This assisted the heads of schools when it came to
presenting the programme to the parents as they then used the
chairpersons to explain it to the parents.
Inducting Stakeholders
Teachers at Mudadisi
Primary School follow
Proceedings during a
CSTL Induction
Workshop.
Advocacy Through The Training of District
Schools Inspectors.
• In a bid to both pilot and scale up the CSTL programme at the same
time, the Steering Committee found it necessary to train all the District
Schools Inspectors in the country.
• District Schools Inspectors are at the implementation level of our
education system. They are in regular contact with heads of schools
hence have a greater influence and impact on the school system.
• After the DSI’s trainings, an Action Plan was drawn where the DSIs
would go back and train all the heads in their districts. The heads
would then go on to train teachers and members of the SDCs and thus
spread the CSTL gospel even wider to both learners and parents.
Advocacy Through Training of DSIs (cont’d)
• In addition, DSIs would also hold induction workshops for
stakeholders at District level. DSIs were advised to work with
the office of the District Administrator in a bid to reach out to
more stakeholders.
• Some districts have already submitted positive responses to
this initiative.
Advocacy through Parenting Skills
Workshops
• In order for parents to fully understand their roles in the
education and upbringing of their children it was found
essential to first give them a brief overview of CSTL.
• In order to provide for greater advocacy, the community
leadership by way of traditional leaders, counsellors and all
other stakeholders working with the schools were involved in
the training.
Parent workshop at Munkula Primary
Matabeleland south
Advocacy Using Various Fora
• Like in the Parenting Skills workshops, a number of other fora
were used to advocate CSTL such as World Environment Day
celebrations, whose theme was the conservation of nature: ‘Go
Wild For Life. Save The Environment, and the Jamboree/ Service
Fair at Shurugwi 2 High School.
• All in all any occasion that brings people together was used as an
opportunity to do advocacy on CSTL.
• The involvement of learners, facilitated for greater advocacy
amongst both learners and parents.
Jamboree at Shurugwi 2 High School.
Conclusion
• As Zimbabwe we believe we are no longer at pilot stage but
that we have managed to pilot and at the same time scale up
the programme.
• I THANK YOU!