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State
of the education sector - July 2010
Students Solidarity Trust
August 04, 2010
General
Comment
Zimbabwe's education
sector is still reeling in an ocean of remnant problems of the pre-inclusive
government socio-economic and political chaos. The state of funding
is slowly improving through insufficient initiatives from the government
and various stakeholders. Stop gap and fire-fighting measures are
being put in place for examinations to be written, for the examinations
council to be run professional, for unregistered institutions to
be registered and the policy environment to improve.
Examinations
Update
In a welcome development,
the Basic Education Assistance Module [BEAM] will now cover the
nearly 18 000 students who had been unable to register according
to the Herald of July 21. It quotes a statement in which the secretary
in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Dr Stephen
Mahere as having indicated that after an exhaustive meeting with
secondary school heads, government has now asked for submissions
of names of students who require assistance. Prospects of over 18
000 students writing examinations were fading as Zimbabwe Schools
Examinations Council [ZIMSEC] had indicated that it may not register
any students after the set deadline. Students who missed the deadline
were going to be penalised through payment of a late registration
fee, a situation that culminated in several appeals to government
to rescue those students who, for no fault of their own were now
going to be punished by the heavy-handed approach of the examinations
body. For some students, it would have meant that for two consecutive
years, they would not be able to proceed with their education due
to financial constraints. Last year, there was minimal assistance
from government through BEAM which resulted in several students
missing out on an opportunity to be tested. Government should be
applauded for their intervention in this year's examinations
saga but should also put in place mechanisms to prevent such fire-fighting
responses to similar crisis in future. Government should proactively
look at ways to deal with such a situation in the future such as
getting their administrative house in order so that statistics of
deserving students get to them in good time.
Zimbabwe
Schools Examinations Council [ZIMSEC]
The Herald and Newsday
of July 28 reported that the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts
and Culture, Senator David Coltart had appointed an eighteen-member
board for ZIMSEC. For several months now, information on the inner
workings of the examinations body has been trickling out painting
a gloomy and worrying picture of what has been happening. On March
14, The Standard carried an article wherein it chronicled some of
the problems bedevilling ZIMSEC from a report it says had been commissioned
by government. Among some of the failures was that most of the board
members' terms had expired and a proper board meeting was
last held in May 2008. This meant that the ZIMSEC ship was raderlessly
traversing the seas of education excellence or lack thereof through
poor management coming only from the Chief Executive Officer. The
hope is that the appointment of this board will start to address
the credibility deficit the Council has earned itself over the years.
Top on its priorities should also be reskilling the organisation
and ensuring that those running the Council have both the requisite
experience and qualification to carry out such a task as pulling
it from its current state of disfunction into a body whose examinations
can be relied upon to give a true reflection of the direction Zimbabwe's
education is taking. The credibility of the examinations Council
is part of the rebuilding work that needs to happen in Zimbabwe's
education sector and the board hopefully will through the blending
of academics, politicians and business people achieve the expected
target.
Tertiary
Institutions
The mushrooming
of several colleges and private training institutions has always
been a problem ready to reverse some of the gains the education
sector has made. The colleges occupied the gap that had been created
when most state universities were fraught with viability problems
resulting in them being temporarily shut at the height of the 2007-2009
political and economic chaos. In a move that put it on a collision
course with some individuals running these institutions, government
shut down 74 private colleges and independent training institutions
and revoked licences for 32 of these institutions as reported by
the Herald, Chronicle and Newsday. The permanent secretary of the
Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Dr. Washington Mbizvo
noted that the institutions were not following laid down terms and
some operated without licences, giving rise to substandard quality
education and in some cases bogus colleges which have fleeced unsuspecting
individuals of hard earned cash.
However, the former minister
of information and publicity and the secretary for education in
ZANU PF's politburo, Dr. Sikanyiso Ndlovu is reported by the
Zimbabwe Independent of July 15 as having said that he would not
close down his private college which was blacklisted by government
in its crackdown. He argued that his college's registration
is with the ministry of education, sport, arts and culture. Although
this is correct in that it offers academic classes, it also offers
professional classes which fall under the higher and tertiary education
ministry. In light of the economic hardships facing Zimbabweans,
government should continue enforcing the law to the letter to protect
students whose fault may be to register with an unregistered college
or training institution. No sacred cows should be spared from the
crackdown and such pronouncements from Dr. Ndlovu should be worrying
for those who are hopeful that the crackdown was the beginning of
sanitizing the education system.
Upcoming
Parliamentary Bills
On July 13, the President,
Robert Mugabe opened the third session of the 7th parliament and
presented his legislative agenda. Of the 24 bills up for debate
and discussion are three bills that have a bearing on the education
system. These are the Zimbabwe Education Qualification Authority
bill, Schools Examinations Council Amendment Bill and the Indigenous
Languages bill aimed at promoting Zimbabwe's local languages.
However, a note of caution has to be sounded as the Schools Examinations
Council Amendment Bill has been on the cards from 2009. It failed
to make it into the second session and if government is going to
build on the education reforms it has instituted, time is of the
essence with these bills. Part of the failing in the education sector
was as a result of relatively relaxed laws and the hope is that
these bills will not introduce more bureaucracies that will stall
the progress which has to be made.
Presidential
Scholarship Fund
The Herald of July 12
reported that 100 Zimbabwean students have gone to Monash University
in South Africa under the Presidential Scholarship Fund. This is
a fund initiated by President Mugabe to assist needy students acquire
tertiary education in South Africa. Although this gesture has assisted
many a student, it is worrying that the fund continues to find funds
for such a venture when tertiary institutions in this country are
failing to make ends meet. Local students are still faced with the
prospects of failing to complete their education due to the punitive
fees tertiary institutions are asking for, when funds are being
found to fund other students in foreign lands. The Scholarship which
has been dismissed by many as being run on partisan and patronage
basis should be reviewed or completely suspended and the money reinvested
in Zimbabwe's tertiary institutions where it would make a
world of difference to several more students compared to the comparatively
few students currently benefiting from the current scheme.
Students
Victimization in the month of July
The month of July witnessed
a decline in the arrests and detention of student activists in their
quest for academic freedom particularly the right to affordable
education. Worrisome is the high number of students appearing in
courts in various parts of the country. A total number of thirty
four student activists appeared in various courts in the month of
July.
On 07 July eight
University of Zimbabwe students appeared before a Harare magistrate
court on charges of participating in an illegal gathering after
a ZINASU demonstration
in March 2010. The eight Joshua Chinyere, James Katso, Temptation
Tazviinga, Tinashe Hlatshwayo, Tinashe Chisaira, Culvern Mungiri,
Sydney Chisuko and Chikomborero Mukwaturi will appear in court on
04 August when the state is expected to give a trial date.
On 13 July eight
Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) student activists
appeared before a Bindura magistrate on charges of attending an
illegal gathering under the Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act, the eight were part of the
twenty five Bindura University of Science Education students who
were arrested at the Bindura University Science Education campus
in January 2010. The other seventeen were discharged when the state
closed its case in June. The defence Lawyer of the eight Tawanda
Zhuwarara applied for discharge of the eight. The matter was postponed
to 30 July. The eight Joshua Chinyere, Grant Tabvurei, Wisdom Mgagara,
Ian Makone Tashinga Mudzengi, Mark Tena, Prosper Nyadimu and Harmony
Chabuka were finally discharged by the Bindura magistrate when they
appeared in court on 30 July.
On 15 July,
three University
of Zimbabwe student activists Tawanda Katsuro, Vitalis Mudzonga
and Justice Chikanya appeared for trial at the Harare magistrate
Court. The three are facing charges under Section 37 of the Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act after they were arrested at the
University of Zimbabwe campus for purportedly leading and participating
in a demonstration against a decision by the Vice Chancellor, Professor
Levy Nyagura to bar all students with outstanding fees from sitting
for their end of semester examinations. The matter was postponed
to 22 August when the state is expected to begin trial.
On 22 July five Zimbabwe
National Students Union (ZINASU) leaders appeared before a Harare
magistrate for trial. The five Obert Masaraure, Tafadzwa Kutya,
Gamuchirai Mukura, Archford Mudzengi and Tryvin Musokere are facing
allegations under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act
for attending an illegal gathering. They were arrested on 16 June
at the University of Zimbabwe while addressing students as part
of the Day of the African Child commemorations. Trial in this case
failed to take off after the state witnesses who are mainly University
of Zimbabwe security guards failed to attend court. Trial in this
case will begin on 23 August. The students are being represented
by Jeremiah Bamu of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
On the same
day 22 July, two Bulawayo student activists Jorum Chikwadze and
Patrick Danga appeared before a Bulawayo magistrate facing charges
under Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) Chapter 9:23 for
defeating the course of justice. Trial in this case continued on
30 July with the cross examination of the student activists. It
was then adjourned to 12 August for continuation of trial.
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Solidarity Trust fact
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