Keyword: zimbabwe

ABSTRACT: This qualitative study investigates the use of educational technology (EdTech) to reach marginalized populations through non-formal education (NFE) in Zimbabwe. Grounded in Paulo Freire's Critical Pedagogy and employing an interpretive research philosophy, the study collected data from 50 educators using open-ended questionnaires distributed in November 2025. Thematic analysis of responses reveals four key findings. First, the digital divide is fundamentally economic and infrastructural: high data costs and unreliable electricity are critical barriers, necessitating investment in solar-powered community centers and school-based access points. Second, pedagogical relevance requires radical localization—incorporating indigenous languages, real-life examples, and practical, skills-based subjects delivered through low-bandwidth platforms such as WhatsApp and SMS/USSD. Third, sustainability depends on community ownership: projects must transition from foreign funding dependency to locally governed models, with trained community facilitators and traditional leaders ensuring ethical accountability. Fourth, inclusivity demands universal design principles that leverage built-in accessibility features for learners with disabilities, alongside robust data protection frameworks to safeguard against exploitation. The study theorizes a "Freirean EdTech" that positions technology not as a neutral tool but as a site of emancipatory practice, where success is measured by a project's ability to foster critical consciousness, economic agency, and collective self-determination. Implications for policy include regulatory interventions to lower data costs, curriculum reforms prioritizing localization, and governance frameworks that embed community oversight. The study concludes that sustainable EdTech in NFE requires moving beyond technological determinism toward socially embedded, ethically governed, and culturally responsive approaches.

ABSTRACT: The paper explores the factors, observable and non-observable, influential in implementation of continuous assessment learning activities strategy in Zimbabwean education system 5.0. This is an activity-based assessment of learners and was reviewed since its inception. Most qualitative researched found the barriers to implementation of continuous assessment learning activities like resources, preparedness of schools and skill but not the relationship and intensity of the influence. A stratified random sampling method was applied in Zimbabwean education institutions that involved educators, parents and learners from primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Structural equation modelling was conducted to assess the relationship between continuous assessment learning activities implementation and other latent variables. Prior to structural equation modelling, exploratory factor analysis was done. The results obtained from this statistical evaluation indicated that teacher motivation, parental support and child performance were positively related to continuous assessment learning activities implementation. Child performance had a mediation effect in that the relationship of teacher motivation and parental support increased when child performance was included. Respective influence of teacher motivation and parental support were 0.152 and 0.220. Inclusion of child performance increase influence to 0.493, a more than 100% increase in each case. The study therefore recommends a holistic approach to continuous assessment learning activities implementation but with more emphasis on improving child performance.