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ZINASU National Executive Council (NEC) speaks on the constitution making process
Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) (Chinyere)
February 03, 2010

The ZINASU National Executive Council leadership has embarked on a national capacity building program urging students to fully participate in the ongoing national constitution making process that has already kicked off. This process seeks to build a student's monitoring and mobilisation team in the constitutional process. The current constitution Zimbabwe adopted at the Lancaster House which was coined as a cease fire document deprived students of their basic right to education. This has led to continuous victimization, torture, arrests, suspensions and expulsions of students in colleges. Zimbabwe cannot continue using the ceasefire document that has been amended a record 19 times and promotes dictatorship, thereby giving rise to the need for a new constitution.

The current constitution does not guarantee education as a basic human right but a privilege. Tertiary education should not be for the elite but accessible to all on the basis of merit. Education being a right should be broadly defined incorporating issues such as academic freedoms and scientific research. The Union is advocating for a democratic education delivery system that allows students to pursue their studies regardless of colour, class, race, creed or background. Students demand an end to student victimization, resurgence of freedom of association, assembly and expression. The students need to hold Government to account if it fails to deliver on quality and affordable education. This right must have clear guarantees and must work towards achieving the Dakar, Senegal agreement on Education for all program.

The students of Zimbabwe want to fully and meaningfully contribute in the process. ZINASU is however concerned that the process has not clearly taken shape and continues to run in circles. ZANU Pf has been dilly dallying on the process thus delaying the implementation schedule. ZINASU remains committed in ensuring that the voices of students are heard. ZINASU will hold a pre-referendum conference to evaluate the outcome of the consultation process. If the draft does not capture the views of the students, ZINASU remains ready to mobilise students and Zimbabweans for a No Vote Campaign. The constitution is long overdue and ZINASU will not tolerate any further delays. The Union is mobilising its structures for nationwide protests in order to push this process forward.

The environment in which the constitution making process is expected to take place is proving not to be conducive since some politicians are now using terror and violence to endorse the Kariba Draft Constitution. ZINASU therefore calls upon all political players and civic organisations to take the process seriously and to ensure that Zimbabweans have a role in the making of the country's constitution.

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