THE schooling calendar for 2012 having just commenced, we thus dedicate this 20th installment to the key stakeholders in the education sector.

The need today

The need today is not for merely intelligent but for deep-thinking people . For, mere intelligence void of imaginative thought, innovativeness and creativity is tantamount to talent criminally and sinfully put to waste to the detriment of a nation's creative potential, socio-economic development, hence prosperity. To this end, though not a panacea in itself, the teaching of intellectual property (IP) in schools and institutions of higher learning is a sine qua non or prerequisite.

Current status in Zimbabwe

Despite a decade-long of battering, Zimbabwe's educational systems and standards remain lauded as second to none on the sub-Saharan African continent, its population the most literate and its workforce equated to that of the European Union (EU) in terms of performance and output. And yet, parodoxically, despite these flattering accolades, coupled with enviable vast natural resources, our beloved nation remains one of the abjectly poor and hungry countries. Is this not ignominously demeaning, a disgrace and shame for a country blessed with such huge potential?

Our lack of local initiatives, innovation and entreprenuership is primarily owed to our stagnant education policies which rigidly and obliviously continue to emphasize and still embrace the outdated and redundant worker -- forever mentality, instead of an entrepreneurship orientation in accord with modern technological trends and realities.

The Human mind

The human mind has two components which must be simultaneously developed, for they are inextricably inseparable. On the left side of our brain resides our intelligence quotient (IQ) while the right side houses our creative potential. The right side of our brain is therefore our factory and reposistory of our knowledge, which in turn feeds our IQ side with processed creative ideas for actioning. As such, if this side is not properly developed, then our innovative potential and prowess will also be low and thus put to waste. It is this failure to properly develop our creative potential in tandem with our IQ that our education policies and systems are guilty of and in urgent want of retification.

Child development truisms

Children learn what they live. Put differently, the environment is the best teacher at each stage of a child's development, from the sub-conscious, cognitive, self-discovery, rationalization to the logical phase. Their brains are more supple and patently receptive and responsive to instruction, information and new ideas during the first three phases, when they are still uninhibited and unrestrained and have a propensity to explore the world around them, experiment with various techniques, and to readily express themselves.

Children and IP learning

Teaching children IP matters in their early stages of development motivates them to: question, seek and identify their respective passions and spheres of creative potential and to imagine where this would lead them in life; self-appraise their uniqueness and individuality, strengths and limitations, while at the same time learning to respect their own and others' creations; be disciplined, plan and work purposefully, consistently and concertedly; be time-conscious and focused. Most importantly, this makes them appreciate how the economy really functions early in life, hence be inculcated with an innovative spirit and entreprenuership aspirations.

We thus vehemently advocate here that children must be taught IP matters from as early a tender age as pre-school, through to tertiary levels. In a nutshell, catch them when they are stilll young, for they are the future leaders, researchers, educators, trainers and entrepreneurs, and the future starts today.

Derivative benefits

Remember, a nation's brains is its most prized possession towards prosperity, strength, vibrancy, vitality and pride. In consequence whereof the following derivative benefits accrue ad inifinitum, among others, the promotion of:

A broad-based pool of knowledge workers, sanitised and conducive operating environment for both local and foreign investors;

Robust, buoyant and vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven economy, underpinned by appropriately blended and customized local and foreign technologies;

Ever-evolving cycles of local innovative and creative cultures, hence acquisition and diffusion of knowledge stocks and future reserves;

Local empowerment, ownership, exploitation and beneficiation (value addition) of our vast natural resources, and

Sustainable wealth-creation, socio-economic growth and development, hence employment creation, proliferation of opportunities, eradication of poverty and hunger, strength and prosperity;

Ever guranteed improvement quality and standards of life for all generations -- contemporary and posterity.

The ultimate accomplishment is to transform Zimbabwe into a developed country and a net exporter of diversified high technology products and processes, thereby regaining our former status and pride as the jewel of Africa. Why not? If South Korea, Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa recently achieved this, why not Zimbabwe, a country blessed with unrivalled talent and vast natural resources?

Children God-given gifts

Children are precious and unique gifts from the Almighty God over who all of us as parents are reposed and entrusted with the responsibility and obligation to religiously cherish, love and jealously guard and guide them to succeed in their lives. Thus, dereliction, neglect and shirking from this responsibility and obligation is an abominable sin before God, a morally despicable and deplorable conduct. For, it is our divinely, statutorily and culturally mandated duty to bring up our children according to our maximum ability and capability.

Children are precious and unique gifts in the sense that they are: a blessing of life in the image of God Himself, possessed of unique creative talents, individually-given and mandated to them to explore, pursue and fulfill in their short journey on earth to heavenily glory, each according to their ability. For God knew them, their time and place of birth before they were conceived in their mothers' wombs as he has a special purpose for their exsistence according to His will and not in accord with our wishes.

Parents pivotal

The onus of bringing up children is primarily bestowed on the parents. Therefore, all other persons and social institutions merely play transient, temporary, complementary and supplementary roles in an in loco parentis (on behalf of the parents) capacity in support of their efforts. As such, the choice of bringing up children vests in the parents' vision, involvement and initiative.

In this regard, proper parenting entails unravelling, identifying, harnessing, stimulating, nurturing, fostering and developing each child's unique and creative talents to full potential, bearing in mind that these talents are God-given for the common good and benefit of society (Matthew 25 vs 15).

Foremost, parents must of necessity create a conducive and enabling learning environment for the child. And this requires us to seek divine intervention, power and guidance. For, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and, in turn, the knowledge of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1 vs 7).

In these endeavours and pursuits parents should, inter alia:

Develop commitment and demonstrable love, keen, and consistent interest in and unwavering support of their children's creative efforts through concerted monitoring, encouragement and supervision, and not to leave it to third parties.

As children are God's crown and the pride of the parents, so must parents take charge and set the ball rolling in inculating and instilling spiritual, mental, physical, emotional and moral discipline, values, goals and aspirations in their children, not anyone else.

Parents must also provide their children with requisite material resources and tools. These are key to spurring the child on. Admittedly, capacity to do so might be hamstrung by financial considerations, but nevertheless, we should still strive to source these.

Parents are also to keep the child in good health, give them convenient shelter and recreational facilities. This calls for careful planning and implementation of the child's work schedule, which aspect will certainly culminate into assimilation by the child.

This then is precisely the nature and scope of guided parenting towards developing our children's creative talents. We need to inspire them all the way as we prepare to launch them into adulthood assured of self-fulfilment, self-realisation and self ac