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The Herald
By Innocent Ruwende
3 July 2009

TEACHERS threatening to strike over unfulfilled pay promises have been told that civil servants are likely to get proper salaries when Finance Minister Tendai Biti presents the mid-term fiscal policy on July 16.

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart told representatives of teachers at a meeting on Wednes-day that the Government was working to address their salaries and working conditions and those of other civil servants.

The announcement was expected in the mid-term fiscal policy review.

In an interview, Minister Coltart said he had received notices from teachers unions’, among them the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association and Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, threatening to go on strike if the Government does not start paying them salaries.

At the moment, all civil servants are getting a US$100 monthly allowance.

“We told them that Government was aware of their concerns and it realises that the US$100 allowance teachers are getting was not adequate and did not recognise their professional qualifications.

“Finance Minister Tendai Biti is running around to secure money to pay their salaries as well as those of other civil servants. I am hopeful that we will be able to address their concerns and those of other civil servants but it will depend on the amount of money coming into the fiscus,” Minister Coltart said.

But Zimta yesterday expressed frustration over unfulfilled pay promises and said it had twice restrained its members from striking but was now being left with no option.

“The National Executive Committee met on 26-27 June 2009 in Harare to deliberate, among other issues, concerns from members about the remuneration levels.

The Herald
Herald Reporter
3 July 2009

THE 2008 Grade Seven results are finally out, the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council has announced.

Zimsec director Mr Happy Ndanga yesterday said the results were being sent to all regional offices and would be available to schools from today.

School heads should liaise with their Zimsec regional managers.

Grade Seven results are traditionally released between the end of November and the first week of December, but the examinations council was faced with numerous problems resulting in the late release of the results.

Last year’s Grade Seven candidates are already attending Form One classes after they were admitted on the basis of their mid-year examinations.

“The delayed June Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examinations will commence on Monday, as previously announ-ced by the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart.

“From July 3 onwards, question papers and other related materials will be available from Zimsec regional offices or as per information from Zimsec regional managers.

“Heads and centre supervisors are advised to liaise with their Zimsec managers on this matter,” he said.

On November O and A Level examination fees, Mr Ndanga said Zimsec was awaiting information adding that the council would advise on dates and other logistics for these examinations.

A Level results were only released in May with O level results being released on June 5.

Results of all levels were delayed after markers downed tools over a payment dispute.

The Independent
By Chris Muronzi
03 July 2009

PARENTS of pupils who fail to pay school fees and levies could lose household property and other valuables after schools in the capital set debt collectors on them to compel payments.
Many Harare parents woke up last week to scary threats from debt collectors after various schools engaged their services.

The parents were served with letters from debt collectors after some failed to pay fees and levies.
One letter from a debt collector to a parent reads: “Your account has been handed over to us for collection. An amount of US$26 in respect of levy/fees is now overdue and payable.

“In the circumstances, we have been instructed to demand as we hereby do, payment of the sum of US$26 at our offices within 48 HOURS, failing which we will instruct the messenger of court to attach and sell your property without further notice.”

A Mabvuku parent told the Zimbabwe Independent this week that they were afraid of having their property and valuables attached after schools ordered parents to top-up fees and demanded higher levies.

But Education minister David Coltart this week said admission fees government announced in May for the second term of the schooling year were enough while schools and parents needed to agree on levies.
The fees were set at US$10 for secondary schools and US$5 for primary. Rural schools were exempted from charging fees.

He said: “The admission fees we announced were deemed as enough this term. What school authorities then need to do is to determine levies that should be collectively agreed to by parents in a meeting.”

Coltart emphasised the need for school authorities to consult with parents in coming up with amounts that should be paid as levies. But schools have engaged debt collectors on parents who failed to pay levies.

The Herald
Herald Reporter
3 July 2009

A National Library and Documentation Service Council has been appointed with an audit on the current state of the country’s libraries its first task.

Harare lawyer Ms Nokuthula Moyo will chair the council. Announcing the appointments on Wednesday, Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart said the council would advise him on general matters pertaining to the administration of the National Library and Documentation Service Act.

“The functions of the council will be to promote the widespread enjoyment in Zimbabwe of publications of an educational, scientific, cultural, recreational and sporting value.

“The council will also ensure, maintain and develop a high standard of library facilities, operate a documentation facility and an inter-library loan facility and to train librarians and to ensure, maintain, coordinate and develop a high standard of librarianship,” he said. Minister Coltart said the term of office of the previous council expired in 2005 but no new appointments had been made since then.

Other members of the council are the dean of the Faculty of Communication and Information Science at the National University of Science and Technology Dr Lawton Hikwa, chartered accountant Mr Tapiwa Chizana and lawyer Ms M Rusere. Also appointed were Ms A Mafukare (director in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture), Ms Jean Kanengoni (bookshop co-ordinator) and Ms Jean Mandewo (documentation officer). Mr Berry Mushonga (library director), Ms Eunice Pfende (programme officer), Mr Ronald Munatsi (principal librarian), Ms Ann Padmore (the director of Library and Information Services), Mr Roger Stringer, Ms Deborah Barron, Ms Cathrine Shadwell, Mr J Maenzanise and a librarian Mr C Mutomba complete the list.

Zim Diaspora
2 July 2009

Seven Zimbabwean schoolteachers were killed last year while 60 others were harassed and tortured by state security forces, according to a new report released Wednesday.
The reported authored by the Student Solidarity Trust (SST) said 85 student
activists were also last year abducted, arrested or assaulted by state security agents.
The SST report, which chronicles gross violation of students and teachers’
rights during political violence last year, indicates that information on the teachers’ deaths was sourced from the Progressive Teachers’ Union (PTUZ).
“The PTUZ recorded the death of seven of its members and the harassment,
intimidation and even torture of more than 60 others during the time,” the
SST said in the report entitled “State of the education sector in Zimbabwe
2008″.
Education Minister David Coltart was not immediately available for comment
on the SST report while it was not possible to get immediate confirmation
from the PTUZ on the information attributed to the union.
But the PTUZ, one of two unions that represent teachers in the country, has
in the past said several of its members were either brutally assaulted,
tortured or killed in political violence, with hundreds of others forced to
flee forced schools in rural areas where violence was worst.
Detailing some of the cases of victimisation of students the SST said that
on April 17, 2008 students from the National Universality of Science and
Technology and Great Zimbabwe University were arrested for protesting over
the delayed release of presidential results.”
“Political persecution of teachers and headmasters during the harmonised
election period led to the closure of most learning institutions. Between
March and June elections 2008, teachers were targeted in a wave of
state-sponsored torture and ill treatment directed at perceived supporters
of the (then opposition) MDC or because of their affiliation to the PTUZ.
“Teachers in rural areas were affected more with some being abducted,
killed, beaten up or having their homes and property destroyed. This led to
a great number of teachers fleeing their teaching posts for fear of
persecution,” added the 44-page report.
The SST said students’ right were also violated with “partisan” police
routinely and arbitrarily arresting and detaining students activists, adding
that in many cases activists were held in police custody without trial for
more than the 48 hours permitted by law.
Zimbabwe witnessed some of its worst ever political violence during the run
up to the June vote that was being held after President Robert Mugabe was
defeated by then opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in an earlier vote the
previous March. But the opposition leader failed to achieve the margin
required to take power and avoid a second round run-off vote.
Tsvangirai pulled out of the June ballot citing state-sponsored attacks
against his supporters and in the process, leaving Mugabe to win as sole
candidate.
But the election was universally condemned, with African countries that had
refrained from criticising Mugabe in the past also denouncing the
violence-marred election - a situation that forced Zimbabwean leader to open
negotiations to share power with Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, who heads
a smaller opposition party.

The Zimbabwean
By Sports Reporter
2 July 2009

It is important to re-brand Zimbabwe through sport, David Coltart said last week when honouring long distance runner, Stephen Muzhingi. Muzhingi won the comrades Marathon in South Africa, last month.

“We are delighted with what you have achieved for the country and we are certainly proud of the achievement,” said Coltart. “I’m going to be watching next year’s race and hope you will break the record.”

The minister hopes to see Zimbabwean sports being revived through education to help rebuild the country’s buttered image on the international arena.

“It is important that we as the Government identify sporting icons as they can achieve a lot in building Zimbabwe’s image,” he said. “It also important to identify and nurture talent at an early stage — that’s why education is linked to sport. However, as the education system was deteriorating, it also affected sports and we will try and improve sport in schools.”

SW Radio
By Alex Bell
2 July 2009

Almost two months after a potentially crippling teachers strike was averted, teachers once again on Thursday renewed their threat to down tools over low salaries.
In May, the Education Ministry managed to prevent a nationwide strike despite not being able to meet the wage demands laid out by the country’s educators. The Ministry instead managed to persuade teachers’ unions that they were doing everything they could to raise money for the education system, and as an incentive allowed the teachers’ own children to have free schooling.
At the time teachers’ unions, including the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) and the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA), acknowledged that their wage demands could not be met. They agreed to go along with the proposed ‘road map plan’ set out by Education Minister David Coltart that would eventually see a significant pay rise in the education system.
But patience is now appearing to wear out, with ZIMTA stating on Thursday that its members “will soon find it irresistible to embark on industrial action.” ZIMTA’s acting CEO Sifiso Ndlovu explained that the strike action “will be the last resort if current engagements with the Education Ministry fail to yield results this month.” He added that most teachers are willing to embark on a strike immediately out of desperation, but continued that they would wait until the end of the month to see what developments had been made by the government.
Many teachers across the country have already stopped working, apparently in an effort to find other jobs to supplement their meagre civil servants income. PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou said last week that in areas such as Bikita, Mberengwa, Chivi, Buhera and Chipinge, teachers are no longer going to work.
“They are very disgruntled and we have been officially informed by our representatives in such districts that they have gone on strike,” explained Zhou in an interview.
Zhou continued that the teachers’ cause for not going to work is genuine and the government must be seen doing something positive now “if ever they want our education system to remain reputable.”

Liberatethemind.com
By Jules Maarten, Member of the European Parliament
1 July 2009

The Herald
Herald Reporter
30 June 2009

MDC-T ministers boycotted yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, drawing a stinging rebuke from other members of the inclusive Government who saw the move as highly disrespectful and against the spirit of inclusivity.

The Cabinet session, which was brought forward to yesterday, however, went ahead and dealt with all matters on the agenda, Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu said yesterday.

Sources said Deputy Prime Arthur Mutambara condemned the move by MDC-T during the Cabinet meeting, saying their action was unnecessary given that there were channels through which to air grievances or resolve sticking issues.

“While no official communication has as yet come from the MDC-T party, or to the Chairman of Cabinet His Excellency President Robert Mugabe, today’s session of Cabinet unanimously deplored the boycott — apparently the first in the history of the country — as disrespectful and contradicting the spirit of inclusivity and the remarkable progress made so far under the inclusive Government launched in February,” Minister Shamu said in a statement.

Noting the absence from the Cabinet meeting of Vice President Joice Mujuru and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, both of whom were on official Government business outside the country and only returned home in the afternoon, yesterday’s session emphasised that as the highest policy-making body recognised by the country’s Constitution, Cabinet deserved the utmost respect of all its members and needed to be shielded from the narrow agendas of individual political parties.

PM Tsvangirai requested from President Mugabe to spend an extra two days in South Africa — from where he connected home yesterday — to see his children.

Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister Elton Mangoma did not attend yesterday’s meeting because he is abroad on official Government business while Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart gave a written official apology for his absence.

The Chronicle
By Owen Gagare in Bulawayo and Dumisani Sibanda
29 June 2009

THE public has responded overwhelmingly to the constitution-making process with some organisations already presenting their own drafts of the supreme law of the land for consideration, an official has said.

In an interview by telephone yesterday, the co-chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee steering the constitution- making process, Senator David Coltart, said Zimbabweans had responded well to the invitation by the committee to attend provincial consultative meetings meant to identify stakeholders to be called for the first stakeholders conference set for next month.

“In Harare and Bulawayo there was a huge turnout. What I’ve heard so far, is that the attendance was the same in other provinces although I can’t really confirm that because I have not received the official reports,” he said.

“What is clear though, is that there is a lot of interest and a wide range of organisations are keen to take part. The churches have met in Harare and have come up with a very detailed draft. The Bulawayo Legal Practitioners Association in conjunction with the Law Society (of Zimbabwe) have also given us their draft document,” he said.

Sen Coltart said women and children’s groups as well as other sectors of society also came out in large numbers so that they could be included in the process of crafting a new constitution for Zimbabwe to replace the Lancaster House Constitution which has been amended 19 times.

“People are very anxious about the process and they want to be heard,” he said.

The select committee has assured people during the provincial consultative meetings that the constitution would not be doctored, as people’s views would be taken seriously.