Developmental Trends in Mathematics Teacher Education Curricula in Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwean tertiary curricula are currently undergoing reviews in line with the Heritage—Based Education 5.0, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education, and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) agendas. For teacher education the curricula are also being reviewed for purposes of harmonisation with changes in the schools’ education programmes through the competence based curriculum that was introduced in 2017. This chapter explores the changes that are being made in the mathematics teacher education curricula in Zimbabwe and how these changes can influence the exit profiles of mathematics teachers in the twenty-first century and beyond. In this chapter the historical developments in mathematics teacher education in Zimbabwe are analysed in view of global teacher education trends. The chapter discusses how Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and STEM Education, as global imperatives, are influencing changes in the mathematics teacher education curricula. The chapter also explores how national imperatives such as Education 5.0, Heritage-Based Education, and the schools’ Competence-Based Curriculum are spurring changes in the mathematics teacher education curricula. Two examples of mathematics teacher education curriculum reviews from two universities are presented to highlight common changes that are being made and their significance in contributing towards the production of mathematics teachers who can teach the subject in line with national and global expectations.