The use of experiential learning in effective provision of skills to secondary school learners in Zimbabwe

Practical oriented education was not foreign to indigenous education systems. Precolonial education ideology focused on promoting productivity and practicality. Given current challenges, contemporary education systems can deduct from fertile African cultural heritage to mitigate educational shortfalls promoting unproductivity and unemployment. Contemporary Zimbabwe education, if not most of Africa, from primary to Tertiary level lacks emphasis of practical skills. Yet one can argue that, practical subjects/skills are the foundational cornerstone of sustainable productivity and socioeconomic development. Many curricular obstacles hinder promotion and teaching of diverse practical subjects. At the top of several hindrances is lack of supportive infrastructure for effective practical subjects teaching; and lack of practical subjects teachers given absence of a pro-practicals teacher college education in Zimbabwe. Most persistent hindrance is the history driven ideology associated with practical subjects. The purpose of this qualitative study through analysis of published literature was to determine the cause of above-mentioned hindrances. This study discovered a limited inclination towards practical subjects by the current Zimbabwe education system and related practical subject’s pedagogy. Therefore, one can conclude logically that, limited teaching of practical subjects in most schooling levels highly affects productivity of active citizens contributing towards national sustainable growth. Hence, there is a need for practical subjects’ access diversification at all schooling levels and train relevant teachers towards that end.