Gifted education in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Despite making tremendous progress in education since independence to become a leader in literacy in Africa, Zimbabwe lags behind other nations in providing special programming for its gifted children and youths. Not only do gifted and talented students exist in Zimbabwean schools and colleges, giftedness has also been confirmed in research on indigenous cultures. This paper discusses a number of issues characterizing the discourse of gifted education in Zimbabwe. In this discourse, the paper examines indigenous conceptions of giftedness, types of giftedness valued, local beliefs about giftedness, challenges involved in educating gifted students and critical findings in local research on gifted education in Zimbabwe. The paper is informed by a number of studies conducted by this writer and other researchers on gifted education in Zimbabwe. Future directions for gifted education research in Zimbabwe are highlighted.

Keywords:

• bantu
• culture
• giftedness
• gifted education
• inclusive education
• mbira
• resilience
• talent

Public Interest Statement

Whereas existing knowledge for understanding giftedness and talent among students is dominated by Western theories and models in contemporary psychology, the author argues that there are different ways to understand giftedness and talent among students. This paper examines gifted education in Zimbabwe as informed by existing studies on gifted and talented education in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is a Southern African country landlocked between South Africa in the South, Mozambique in the East, Zambia in the North and Botswana and Namibia in the West. Shona is the culture and language of about 82% of the Zimbabwean population while Ndebele (a dialect of Zulu language) is the culture and language of about 14% of the Zimbabwean population while 5% is White, Asian and others. The paper is informed by the writer’s groundbreaking studies and other studies conducted by recent researchers on gifted education in Zimbabwe. The writer’s initial research was focused on understanding indigenous conceptions of giftedness with a view to contribute to the development of eco-culturally sensitive theories and models for understanding and advancing giftedness and talent among students in schools.

Acknowledgements

I am greatly indebted to the Canadian Government for sponsoring my studies both in Canada and in Zimbabwe through a Commonwealth Student Scholarship fund. Without the provisions of the scholarship fund, my studies and vision in gifted education would have neither been possible nor able to achieve an impact in the field of gifted education. I am also greatly indebted to my research mentor Dr. Marion Porath (now Professor Emerita at the University of British Columbia) for her expert mentorship and moral support which made a world of difference in my research endeavours.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Constantine Ngara

Constantine Ngara, PhD, is an assistant professor in educational studies at the University of Bahrain Teachers College and a sessional instructor in special education at the University of British Columbia. He has taught from elementary school through high school to community college and university level on three continents, in Africa, Canada and the Middle East. His research focuses on intelligence and giftedness. Constantine has authored and co-authored numerous articles, book chapters and a book on the pedagogy of giftedness that inform this paper. In his main research, he has proposed the Dynamic and Interactive Process Model (DIPM) of Talent Development among children. Currently; the model is receiving a lot of attention in research. Constantine’s studies on gifted education in Zimbabwe were groundbreaking. The paper is a culmination of a series of studies by the author and other researchers who have taken interest in investigating the discourse of gifted and talented education in Zimbabwe.