FORMER President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
This will sure come to pass following a distinctive new approach to education taking shape in Harare when a new group of schools opens its first primary school campus at Aspindale Park in January next year, bringing together several teaching traditions and innovations in a curriculum and education system designed specifically for Zimbabwean learners growing up in a rapidly changing world.
Atlas Primary School will begin with a co-educational intake in ECD A and Grades 1, 2 and 3, adding one grade each year until it reaches Grade 7. A high school forms part of the longer-term plan, while a further campus is proposed for Borrowdale Park. Classes at Aspindale are expected to be capped at 24 learners and supported by teaching assistants, giving teachers greater scope to know each child and respond to individual needs.
At the centre of the curriculum is a simple but ambitious idea: children should not merely remember information for an examination. They should understand it, question it and be able to apply it. Lessons are therefore expected to place greater emphasis on investigation, discussion, problem-solving, collaboration and practical experience.
Atlas intends to combine Zimbabwe’s Heritage-Based Curriculum with inquiry-led methods similar to those of the International Baccalaureate and Singapore Math, while having strong phonics-based literacy, purposeful use of technology and artificial intelligence, practical learning and a substantial sports and cultural programme.
Whilst individual elements of these approaches can already be found in different schools, what makes the Atlas proposal distinctive is the way it seeks to bring them together in one coherent programme which is proudly Zimbabwean in identity, internationally informed in method and deliberately focused on the skills children will need for the future.
This direction fits closely with Zimbabwe’s Heritage-Based Curriculum, which is being implemented across primary and secondary education.
The national framework aims to nurture learners who value Zimbabwean identity and heritage while developing literacy, numeracy, critical thinking, communication, teamwork, research, innovation and technological competence.
Heritage-based learning goes beyond the study of history and culture. It connects education with Zimbabwe’s communities, environment, natural resources and lived experience.
For a young learner, this can mean exploring a scientific idea through a local environmental question, developing enterprise skills around a community need or understanding mathematics through situations that are recognisable in everyday life.
Atlas plans to build on that foundation with an inquiry-led philosophy similar to that of the International Baccalaureate.
The principles associated with the IB Primary Years approach encourage children to ask questions, make connections across subjects, explain their reasoning and take increasing responsibility for their own learning.
Atlas is not presently an authorised IB World School, but says the philosophy and standards are helping to shape its programme alongside national curriculum requirements.
The combination is significant because it does not present Zimbabwean identity and international outlook as competing choices.
Instead, the proposed curriculum treats strong roots as the basis from which children can explore the wider world. Learners will be encouraged to understand their own culture and circumstances, while developing the confidence to test ideas, consider different perspectives and communicate beyond their immediate environment.
The school’s incoming head, Monica Mukotsanjera, is leading the development of the academic programme.
An experienced educator and doctoral candidate completing a PhD in Education, she is expected to guide a model in which academic rigour, curiosity, independence and enjoyment of learning reinforce one another. In mathematics, Atlas plans to use Singapore Math methods, moving children from concrete objects and visual models towards abstract reasoning. Rather than learning a procedure without understanding it, pupils will be encouraged to see why a method works and to use it in unfamiliar situations. This can build both confidence and a deeper command of mathematical ideas.
Literacy will be grounded in phonics and phonological awareness, providing a structured route into reading and spelling. As children become confident readers, the wider inquiry-led approach is intended to strengthen comprehension, vocabulary, discussion and writing by giving them meaningful subjects to investigate and explain.
Technology and artificial intelligence will also be incorporated into the learning environment. Atlas says these tools will be used with clear educational purpose and balanced with books, play, physical movement, making and direct experience. That balance is particularly important in the early years, when children develop language, concentration, judgement, creativity and social confidence through interaction with both people and the physical world.
Used well, digital tools can widen access to information, allow children to create and experiment and introduce responsible habits from an early age. The intention is not to replace teachers or traditional foundations, but to help learners understand how technology works, when it is useful and how to use it safely and thoughtfully.
The curriculum will also extend well beyond the classroom. Atlas has partnered with Baseline Tennis Academy and is planning a broader specialist sports programme at Aspindale. Cultural and extracurricular activities are expected to give learners further opportunities to discover their strengths, develop discipline and resilience, work in teams and build confidence.
This whole-child emphasis is consistent with the Heritage-Based Curriculum’s focus on preparing young people for lifelong learning, participatory citizenship, sustainable development and the world of work. It also recognises that the future will demand more than good examination results.
Young people will need initiative, adaptability, sound values and the ability to work constructively with others.
The school is being developed by Oxford Properties, the award-winning company behind Aspindale Park, Aspire Heights, Jacaranda Heights and Borrowdale Park.
Placing a purpose-built school within a growing residential community reflects a broader approach to development in which education, recreation and other social infrastructure are planned alongside homes.
For families in and around Aspindale, the project will provide a nearby school with small classes, modern facilities and a broad programme. For the wider education sector, however, its greatest significance may be the curriculum itself and the possibility of demonstrating how national priorities and selected international practices can be combined without weakening either.
Atlas will have the opportunity to build its culture gradually as each new grade is added. That phased growth is expected to allow its teachers to refine the programme, maintain close relationships with families and establish consistent standards as the school expands towards a complete primary offering and, eventually, a secondary pathway.
The result is an exciting educational proposition: a school that seeks to be modern without losing its Zimbabwean centre, technologically confident without abandoning practical experience, and academically ambitious without crowding out curiosity, character or sport.