Zimbabwe to Introduce Anti-Sanctions Curriculum in Schools

Anti-Sanctions Lessons Set to Be Integrated into Zimbabwe’s Education System

Zimbabwe is set to introduce an anti-sanctions curriculum in schools as part of a new government directive aimed at educating citizens on the impact of economic embargoes imposed by Western nations.

The Government has instructed the Citizens Against Economic Sanctions (CAES) to develop the curriculum, which will be incorporated into the education system.

The initiative is being hailed as a key measure to empower citizens with knowledge and strengthen national resilience.

CAES Executive Director Martin Zharare confirmed the development under the newly gazetted Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Act.

Curriculum to Highlight the Effects of Sanctions

Zharare explained that the Government, through the PVO certificate, had tasked CAES with developing an anti-sanctions curriculum to educate Zimbabweans on the effects of sanctions.

“The Government, through the PVO certificate, has mandated us to produce an anti-sanctions curriculum that will teach Zimbabweans about the debilitating sanctions imposed on the country by the United States, Britain and their allies,” said Zharare.

He added that Zimbabweans must be informed about how sanctions have affected various sectors.

“Our people must know that sanctions have affected our country causing untold suffering in health care, the social fabric, and slowing the growth of our economy as a whole,” he said.

Zharare also explained that CAES will engage subject experts in developing content, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

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From Grassroots to National Recognition

Founded in 2014 as a grassroots movement, CAES has been advocating against economic embargoes for nearly a decade. Following a rigorous registration process, the organisation has now been granted full recognition as a Private Voluntary Organisation.

Zharare expressed gratitude to President Mnangagwa for supporting the registration process, saying the milestone reflects Government’s commitment to empowering citizens.

Education Component to Cover All Levels

CAES Education Officer James Zezai Katonje highlighted that the curriculum will be designed to suit all educational levels, from early childhood development up to teacher training.

“As education officers in CAES, we are mandated to advocate for the inclusion of CAES into the curriculum of sanctions,” Mr Katonje said.

He emphasised that extensive research will guide the content creation.

“This calls for too much research. We are going to research to find what content we’re going to use so that we’re going to teach young children from ECD, Grade 1 to Grade 7, from Form 4 up to teacher level,” he said.

Building Self-Sufficiency Through Education

According to Katonje, the new curriculum will align with Heritage Education 5.0 by fostering patriotism, innovation, and self-reliance.

“This will help the child to grow up with much knowledge about his country, to be able to see how these sanctions have impacted on their lives, what measures are we going to take so that the people of Zimbabwe will be able to live in a good country,” he explained.

He further noted that the skills acquired through this program will enable Zimbabweans to become “healthily self-sufficient, depending less on the outside world and in a way, passing the sanctions.”

The curriculum is expected to be taught in schools, universities, and teacher training colleges, while also extending to community awareness platforms, ensuring that both the youth and adults are engaged in the national discourse.