A Comparative Evaluation of Technical and Vocational Education in Pre-Colonial, Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe, a Case of Manicaland Province

The study was a comparative analysis of technical-vocational education during the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial Zimbabwe, a case of Manicaland Province. It sought to establish how Technical-vocational education has evolved over the past decades. A descriptive survey research design was employed, with a population of 40, which included primary and secondary school heads, education officers and retired school heads. The sample comprised 4 primary and 4 secondary school heads, 2 retired school heads and 2 education Officers. These were chosen using purposive sampling procedure.  Interviews and document analysis were the main instruments used. The major findings were that, before colonization, the Africans in general, and Zimbabweans in particular, had their way of education which was very rich and wholesome and was aimed at producing a total individual. Another finding revealed that the African type of education was not individualistic, but rather it was the duty of every member in the community to educate the young one, even though the curriculum was not in black and white. On the other hand, the colonizers had their way of education which was more formal than that of the natives. It was recommended that the strengths of the pre-colonial and the colonial education be merged for a more comprehensive post-colonial education which is relevant to the present day Zimbabwe.