Although South Africa hosted the first three ACSI Africa Roundtable conferences, over two decades, this was the first time that countries with a specific focus on Southern Africa were able to engage with each other. It brought together educators to focus on aligning the Church, schools and family together to advance Christ-centered education. The main objective of the gathering was to focus on implementing contextually the declaration that was signed by thirty nations of the continent at the African Roundtable 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda, with the theme of “Envisioning the Church and Christian Education Together for Africa by 2050”.
The vision and mission is to inspire and equip the Church, schools and the family to educate Africa’s sons and daughters for holistic Christ-centered education which will prepare them for life. There were more than one hundred delegates representing about ten countries such as Zimbabwe; Mauritius; Lesotho; Namibia; Zambia; Mozambique; South Africa; and Kenya. My take at this conference was to address as a matter of urgency the lack of Biblical worldview and integration in education, and insufficient parental and Church involvement.
A roadmap was crafted to enable us to implement the vision and mission of bringing together the Church, families and schools.
The speakers at this conference were outstanding.
Dr. Sosthene Maletoungou, who is currently the Africa Director for ACSI, spoke on the topic, ‘The Power of our Stories and our Vision of Education’. He based his talk on Psalm 78:1-7 with the emphasis on a biblical foundation for Holistic education.
The second speaker was Namibia. Dr. Shirley Magazi spoke on the role of the Church in education – based on the scripture Matthew 28:19-20. She emphasized that the core of the Church mandate is education.
The third speaker, Mr. Afrika Mhlophe, spoke on, ‘Securing the Next Generation’. He emphasized that although the world has and continues to evolve, our calling as Christians has not changed. We are still expected to transfer divine truths from one generation to the next – Psalm 78:4.
Dr. Susan Wandara from Kenya spoke on the subject, ‘Christian Teacher Education Pedagogical Strategies’. Her emphasis was that we should not separate the school from home and the Church.
The following were the questions raised by the speakers for discussion in our breakaway groups:
- Question 1: Thinking about our context, what are some key issues that hinder the schooling systems today and what do we think maybe the root cause?
- Question 2: List five specific strategies through which parents, Christian educators and Church can effectively influence for a schooling model that nurtures the next generation in their whole humanity through biblical values for life and transformation.
- Question 3: How best can the Church actively advance and preserve biblical values in Christian education in our setting?
- Question 4: Identify areas of collaboration between Churches and schools in our country at local, provincial and national level.
- Question 5: Identify barriers to Church-school partnerships and strategies to overcome these barriers.
- Question 6: In what way does Christian education fulfill the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20)?
- Question 7: What should Christian schools do to equip staff and learners to deal with the battle of worldviews taking place today?
- Question 8: Discuss any two education models that can be adapted to meet the needs of contemporary Christian learners.
We came away both inspired and challenged. ACSI Zimbabwe remains deeply committed to strengthening the vital relationship between school, parents, and the church as we continue our mission to support academic excellence and inspire students to become devoted followers of Christ.
If you are interested in partnering with us in this mission, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us at info@acsi.co.zw.
by Dr. Joe Mundamawo
Delegates from Zimbabwe: Ophezulu, Angus, Joe, Nosizo
2025 Southern Africa Round Table – Johannesburg, South Africa