Harare Polytechnic’s School of Journalism and Media Studies is the oldest journalism and media training institution in Zimbabwe. It trains print and broadcast journalists for the country’s public broadcaster as well as for the print media houses. The training which is a two-year full-time National Diploma is practically-based in line with market demands. Many graduates from the institution are readily absorbed by media houses in the region, and plans are at an advanced stage for Harare Polytechnic to introduce a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mass Communication.
 
In spite of these encouraging developments, the curriculum that is being used at National Diploma level at Harare Polytechnic was last reviewed in 2003 with assistance from the United Nations Population Fund. Since then it has not been possible to secure funding for such an exercise. This is of serious concern since journalism is a dynamic area and stakeholders in the print and broadcast industry are calling for a review of the curriculum.
 
It is important at this juncture to note that the course outline for the B-Tech in Mass Communication has been largely modelled along the UNESCO journalism curriculum. Therefore there is need for a curriculum review at National Diploma level to prepare the institution for the B-Tech programme. As part of the review process, there is need to upgrade the teaching capacity of the trainers in the participating institutions to deliver on the new curriculum. This project will provide training to enable lecturers to deliver better training to trainee journalists. Most lecturers at Harare Polytechnic have already been trained in journalism but they need refresher training in the new dynamic journalism and exposure to the new trends, new technology, and instructions on how to use them and enable them become familiar with their use. Increasingly, their students are becoming better oriented at the use of technology than their lecturers. Familiarization with new media is more than just exposure and understanding of modern technology, but rather the combination of that technology and the appreciation of the new dynamic way of news processing, dissemination and interaction with audience.