HKZDV

FACULTY OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
NAME:
Assess the role of Critical Consciousness to the development of a university graduate with
Unhu/Vumunhu/Ubuntu.
Research says that critical consciousness focuses on achieving an in-depth understanding of the
world, allowing for the perception and exposure of social and political contradictions. Critical
consciousness also includes taking action against the oppressive elements in one's life that are
illuminated by that understanding. In Zimbabwe, people’s courtesy is only distinguished by the
person’s social abilities (good morals). And to acquire a better person, the education system
introduced critical consciousness in Education 5.0 to assess its effectiveness and also improve
innovation and industrialization. Critical consciousness is the ability to recognize and analyze
systems of inequality and the commitment to take action against these systems. Introducing
critical consciousness into the curriculum invites students to consider their interactions with
peers as well as the world outside of the classroom. Students begin to consider ideas around
equity and justice as it impacts not only themselves but others as well.It has also proven to be the
biggest role in developing Unhu (morals) for university graduates.Unhu is a Shona word and
according to Doval (2018), Unhu is a social philosophy which embodies virtues that celebrate
the mutual social responsibility, mutual assistance, trust, sharing, unselfishness, self-reliance,
caring and respect for others among other ethical values.
There are important evolving levels of consciousness, including lower and higher. At the lower
levels, there is nothing that you consider conscious other than the fact that you are alive or
thought to be alive, and many people belong to this level of consciousness increase. Not eligible.
People at this level may be oblivious to the problems around them and aware of their
surroundings, but they choose to adapt to them. Satisfied, does not inquire about the status quo
and what it looks like, and is satisfied with, for example, the appearance of the believer (religious
person). For such people, practicing Zimbabwean culture can be difficult because they are
already content with what they already know. Anyone who could not be was considered an
outcast or an outsider. The fact that people lived in clans at the time made it easier for young
people to meet society's expectations. It is also a mental disposition or tendency. Unlike lower
grades, it's a skill, not a given. As a psychic ability, it can affect all aspects and aspects of human
life. It is also unique to humans, but not all.
After Zimbabwe's independence, the colonial education system and its philosophies were
abolished. Mudzamba (1982) noted the lack of philosophical underpinnings in Zimbabwean
education as early as 1982 when Hearst proposed the adoption of his seven forms of knowledge.
This was not entirely the Zimbabwean education system. Mhundwa (1982) then suggested that
the focus of education should be "to impart knowledge of African culture and to develop socially
acceptable attitudes".This is how morality was introduced into education. Viriri (2017) argues
that African morality (unhu) is central and important to the identity of many African cultures,
even in Zimbabwe, where it has been passed down from generation to generation with traditional
educational systems. It explains why they are so closely intertwined. It has become a permanent
marker of their social history. In other words, moralism formed the basis of Zimbabwe's Shona
culture, with every member of society striving to uphold philosophy in everything he/she does.
Guerand (1972).
The Nziramasanga Commission's (1999) Recommendations on the Philosophy of Educational

Systems in the Twenty-First Century stated that ``philosophy should, among other things, set the
kind of character the educational system should produce in order to foster a prosperous nation.''
I'm here. The committee further states that it is a "product with ethics and the ability to learn
from Unhu philosophy." In other words, according to Makbaza (2014), the Nziramasanga
Commission report suggests that Unhu should be one of Zimbabwe's educational destinations.
Teachers believe that it is not sufficient to only give students the skills they need for the job
market without also giving them the ability to analyze society and their circumstances, as stated
by Stubbs & Hallinger (2022): According to Billings (1995), students must develop a wider
socio-political consciousness that enables them to critique the cultural norms, values, mores, and
institutions that create and maintain social inequities. This consciousness must go beyond the
individual characteristics of academic achievement and cultural competence. According to
research, fostering critical thinking in pupils has a favorable effect on their future.
Ubuntu, as a philosophy, has a central premise that participation is the element of connection
which unites different beings as beings, as substances, without confusing them. It is the pivot of
relationships between members of the same community, the link which binds together
individuals and groups, the ultimate meaning not only of the unity in multiplicity, that totality,
that concentric and harmonic unity of the visible and invisible worlds (Bhengu, 1996:38).
There are challenges faced by faculty and students when it comes to learning and teaching
critical awareness. Gay & Kirkland (2003) found that progress in developing critical awareness
can be hampered by both general and specific impairments. In a survey of student-teachers, Gay
and Kirkland identified a lack of understanding of what constitutes self-reflection, a lack of
opportunities for quality-driven practice, and a belief that teaching methods can be easily applied
to all situations observed common barriers in and all groups. Gay & Kirkland (2003) identified
the following obstacles: distraction or distraction from the topic, silence by avoiding
participation in discussion, pleading ignorance or lack of disclosure, guilt feelings of guilt
without considering the causes of feelings or ways to avoid them; benevolent liberalism;
commitment.
References
Christians, C.G., 2004. Ubuntu and communitarianism in media ethics: research section. Ecquid
Novi, 25(2), pp.235-256.
Carolyn F. Stubbs & Hallett Hullinger (2022), Developing Critical Consciousness in Students for
Cultural Transformation, 12(1), pp.2-4, [online] Available:
https://digitalshowcase.oru.edu/sotl_ched/
Doval K, (2018), What is the meaning of Unhu? [online] Available:

https://medium.com/@kshitijdoval/what-is-the-meaning-of-unhu-8b99da66132e
Gelfand, M. (1973). The Genuine Shona: Survival Values of an African Culture. Gweru: Mambo
Press
Gay, G., & Kirkland, K. (2003). Developing cultural critical consciousness and self-reflection in
preservice teacher education. Theory into Practice, 42(3), pp.181–187
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant
pedagogy. Theory into Practice, 34(3), pp.159–165. [Online] Available:
https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849509543675
Mhundwa, P. H. (1982). Education the Young Ones: Some Suggestions. In Zimbabwe Journal of
Education, 1(1), pp. 33–37.
Mudzamba, H. J. (1982). Grappling with the Vexing Question of Relevance in the

Reconstruction of Zimbabwean Education. In Zimbabwe Journal of Education, 1(1), pp.1-11.
Makuvaza, N. (2008). Conquest, Colonial Education and Cultural Uprootedness in Africa- the
Role of Education for Hunhu/Ubuntu in Derooting the African in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Journal
of Educational Research, 20 (3), pp.371–388
Nziramasanga, C. (1999). Report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Education and
Training. Harare: Government Printers

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FACULTY OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

The Nziramasanga Commission's (1999) Recommendations on the Philosophy of Educational

Doval K, (2018), What is the meaning of Unhu? [online] Available:

Mudzamba, H. J. (1982). Grappling with the Vexing Question of Relevance in the

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