The Chronicle

17 February 2013

VETERAN journalist and former editor of Chronicle  Stephen Mpofu has published his third book titled Creatures at the Top. The book, which seeks to add a voice in the political history of the country, will be officially launched at the National Gallery in Bulawayo next Thursday. It was published in the United Kingdom.

“The book entitled Creatures at the Top, will be launched next week to add its own voice to an outcry against corruption permeating into various structures of the Zimbabwean society. It also decries rampant gallivanting by some people impelled by their obscenely fat bank accounts,” said Mpofu.

This is the third book by the veteran journalist  after Shadows on the Horizon (1984) and Zambezi Waters run Still, a sociological novel published in 1996.

“The book will be launched by the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart and is a true story of the road traveled by Zimbabweans in exile through to independence and has its setting both in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“I was pushed by the need to pen down the political history of Zimbabwe and my life in exile in Zambia and back home. It is part of the political history of the country trying to show the tribulations of life in exile and the joys of genuine appreciation for work well done,” said Mpofu.

The book also highlights the roles played by neighbouring countries, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, in the liberation war.

Creatures at the Top also dwells much on an independent Zimbabwe, highlighting the economic imbalances where some enriched themselves while the majority are poor.

“Now corrupt tendencies by some creatures who put self before the country have provoked a hue and cry even from those creatures at the top, who abhor or pretend to do so, the various nasty narratives that stand as obstacles to social, economic and political advancement,” said Mpofu.

He has also written a political satire, The man with one eye and one ear, although it is yet to be published.

Mpofu is also finalising another publication on the country’s successful land reform programme comparing with similar programmes in Namibia and South Africa.

Mpofu said the book would be called ‘Little hearts can also dance’.

Mpofu was born in Mberengwa District where he did his education.

The former editor, who retired in 2001, trained at Africa Literature Centre, Zambia in 1963 and lived in exile in the neighbouring country for 17 years.

From 1965 to 1980, he worked for The Times in Lusaka where he rose through the ranks to become Assistant Editor.

He returned to Zimbabwe to become the first black News Editor of The Herald in 1981.

He rose to become Senior Assistant Editor until 1987 when he became Sunday Mail Editor for two years.

Mpofu was then moved to Chronicle in Bulawayo where he headed the paper for 12 years until his retirement in 2001.

He taught briefly in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at the National University of Science and Technology and later left to concentrate on writing his latest book.

He remains a writer, as he is a columnist at Chronicle while he is also a member of the Board of Directors at New Ziana.

News Day

By Veneranda Langa

16 February 2013

Zanu PF Mbire MP Paul Mazikana this week sparked a language row in the House of Assembly when he insisted Education Sport Arts and Culture minister David Coltart should be able to understand and speak Shona. Speaker in the House of Assembly Lovemore Moyo had to bar Mazikana from further questioning Coltart in Shona after he refused to heed his call to put the question in English for the minister to understand and respond to him.

In deep Shona, Mazikana fired a question to Coltart “Mubvunzo wangu wakanangana negurukota redzidzo” (My question is directed to the Education minister).

Moyo interjected: “Order, order honourable Mazikana – with due respect we do not work on assumptions and taking issues for granted. Due to the serious nature of the question that you perhaps want to ask, I will suggest that we get a microphone for Coltart (with English interpretation), or you use the other permissible language in the Parliament (English).”

But Mazikana was not deterred insisting Coltart was born in Zimbabwe and should understand Shona, attracting interjections from other MPs.

Moyo did not take the sarcastic comments by Mazikana lightly and immediately ordered the MP to take his seat and barred him from further questioning the minister.

“Please take your seat honourable member, I will not allow you to put further questions to the minister,” the Speaker said.

According to the House of Assembly Standing Rules and Orders (197): “The Speaker may, if he or she considers it to be necessary or desirable for the convenience of any member, permit debates or other proceedings in the House to be conducted in Shona or Ndebele as well as in English, in which case he or she will ensure that adequate provision is made for the interpretation of any language so used into the other two languages.”

Mazikana’s question which has to do with this year’s Ordinary Level failure rate had to be raised in English by MDC-T legislator for Nyanga South, Willard Chimbetete.

The Chronicle

15 February 2013

The Government is mulling plans to re-introduce the Zimbabwe Junior Certificate (ZJC) in a bid to improve the national pass rate.

The ZJC examination was suspended in 2000 when hyperinflation pushed it running to unaffordable levels.

In an interview on Wednesday, Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart, said the re-introduction of ZJC could be done once it was approved. “Once we have reviewed our existing curriculum, the Ministry will make sure it revives the junior certificate to evaluate the performance of pupils. This of course would be done after recommendations from educationists, not politicians or lawyers,” he said.

Minister Coltart said it was practical to incorporate the examination in the school calendar especially for practical subjects. “It may be that we go back to ZJC especially for practical subjects like woodwork,” said Minister Coltart.

However, he emphasized the re-introduction of ZJC was subject to the curriculum review process.

“At the moment, there is no policy in the country that determines the re-introduction of ZJC.  It’s re-introduction can be determined by the curriculum review process, which looks at examinations in the country,” said the Minister.

He said the low O-level pass rate for last year was because of less attention paid to practical subjects.

“People are horrifies about the 18,4 percent pass rate but the do not recognize that not all children are academically gifted. That is why we emphasize the need for the teaching of practical subjects,” said Minister Coltart.

In a separate interview, prominent educationist and politician, DR Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, said the re-introduction of ZJC would go a long way in improving the education system.

“ZJC should be re-introduced as a step towards improving the learning of children. It has been neglected for a long time. You can not judge the effectiveness of education with cost by hammering its introduction. Education is a process and it should start at ZJC level. There is a long siesta between Grade 7 and O-Level exams, which I feel contributes to the long string of poor academic performances recorded in recent years, “said Dr Ndlovu.

Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association chief executive officer Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said the re-introduction of ZJC would go a long way in improving the education system. “The re-introduction of ZJC means the evaluation of varying aptitudes and, thereafter, channeling pupils to areas of specialty. It will be done in a manner that the education system becomes a two-way system, giving chance to practical or vocational and academic learning,” he said.

Mail & Guardian

By Jason Moyo

15 February 2013

Few things get a Zimbabwean going like slighting their much vaunted education system. We will soak up all forms abuse, but never try take away our old adage that we are the most literate people on the continent – at 92%, according to the United Nations Development Programme. It is a statistic we wear like a badge.

This explains the storm sparked by news that only 18.4% of students that sat for O-levels last year had passed.

Zimbabwe has abandoned the British Cambridge O and A-level exams, opting for local versions  overseen by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council.

How high did emotions run at the release of the statistic? In Zimbabwe, a quarrel does not reach its peak until “Rhodesians” are dragged into it and Rhodesians were mentioned, right back to their Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965.

What sparked the row was data showing that only 31 767 of the 172 698 students who had sat for the exams, a route to further education, had passed, with the required five subjects graded 50% or better.

And yet, that 18.4% is not the worst Zimbabwe has ever recorded. In fact, that figure is a recovery from previous years, when pass rates hit lows of just more than 9% in 2007. Few Zimbabweans took notice then.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association head Sifiso Ndlovu is surprised by the alarm over last year’s pass rate. “People are saying that children failed a lot, but when have they ever passed more? The pass rate has always hovered at about 20%,” Ndlovu said.

In 2010 and 2011, the pass rate was 16.5% and 19.5% respectively.

While the numbers should not have been such a shock, the uproar has helped to draw attention to how far down the priority list Zimbabweans have allowed their once prized education system to slip.

Zimbabweans that have blissfully convinced themselves they have the best education system in

Cost of neglect

​Africa are beginning to face reality. Education has, in fact, been bleeding for years from neglect and the country needs to push it back up the priority list.

Education is the crown jewel of what remains of President Robert Mugabe’s legacy, but years of poor funding and political disruption threaten to unravel everything he built.

In 2009, according to a report from the United Nations Children’s Fund, 94% of rural schools were closed, while 66 of the 70 schools surveyed had been “abandoned” by staff.

According to Education Minister David Coltart, 98% of his budget goes to paying teachers, leaving little for facilities or books.

The teacher-to-student ratio, according to regulations, should be one teacher for 33 students. Unions say that schools today average 55 students to a teacher, although it is not unusual to find teachers handling more than three times the recommended number.

That Coltart would view the 82% failure rate as “an improvement on previous years” shows the depth of the crisis Zimbabweans have chosen to ignore while clinging to past glories.

There are bitterly contrasting views on how to fix the problem.

To Coltart’s suggestion of a greater focus on practical subjects, politician Jonathan Moyo wrote: “Coltart, like the architects of Rhodesian racist education before him, is basically saying that blacks have no academic orientation and cannot be taught through mind-based pedagogy that is cerebral or academic, but are rather better taught through observational or so-called practical pedagogy that is based on the ‘monkey-see-monkey-do’ colonial and UDI modules.”

The debate has been nasty, but that is a good thing. Finally, Zimbabweans are taking notice of the decade-long crisis that has eaten away at their pride and joy.

There is a crisis in education. The figures show that there has been a crisis for some time and it will not be resolved through partisan posturing and mendacious vitriol.

Coltart was appointed education minister as part of the government of national unity agreement that portfolios would be shared between Zanu PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change following a contested presidential poll in 2008.

Gold Diggers Take Over Classrooms

Many Zimbabwean schools share the problems of scarce textbooks and demotivated staff but few have had to deal with having their classrooms dug up by often violent gold diggers.

The Globe and Phoenix School, in the gold-rich town of Kwekwe, has been destroyed by illegal gold miners, who have dug beneath the classroom’s foundation, destroyed the school workshop and ploughed up the sports fields.

There is nothing to stop them – the gangs are organised cliques who dig for gold on behalf of local gold dealers.

The school is next to the Globe and Phoenix mine, once one of Zimbabwe’s largest gold producers, which shut down years ago. The damage has made the school almost impossible to use, and the Environment Management Authority (EMA) wants the school to be closed.

It was built to accommodate only the children of mineworkers, but it now serves nearly a thousand children from surrounding communities.

The mine’s closure left the school broke. The school gets by with only a few teachers, each taking classes of up to 70 pupils, who share a handful of donated textbooks.

But the school is bearing the brunt of the lawlessness that has driven many Zimbabwean schools into the ground over the past decade.

After visiting the school, Sheunesu Mpepereki, chairperson of the EMA, said: “The structures could collapse any time because of the damage. If nothing is done, we face a big disaster. Children’s lives are at stake here,” he said. “We cannot have lessons being disrupted by gold panners.”

The school’s authorities would not speak about the invasion.

The Herald

By Robson Shakuro

15 February 2013

DAVID Coltart’s name featured prominently, in a BBC Radio Five Live special, broadcast last week to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the day Andy Flower and Henry Olonga staged their black armband protest at Harare Sports Club during an ICC Cricket World Cup tie.

Alison Mitchell, the journalist who interviewed Flower at a countryside English hotel, and also talked to Olonga, told BBC Radio Five listeners across the world that the planning phase of the protest was done under a cloud of secrecy and Coltart was a key figure.

“They (Flower and Olonga) did not really involve many other people in this at all but David Coltart played an important role,” said Mitchell.

“He was a human rights lawyer at the time and known to both men, particularly to Olonga, and he was trusted, more importantly, he was a member of the opposition party in Zimbabwe, he actually sits in the coalition government now, as Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.

“At the time, Flower and Olonga, took him into their confidence because they needed someone who was well aware of the atrocities going on and who could advise them on a legal and security front and, in Flower’s words, would guide them away from extravagance and towards dignity.”

In the wake of that programme, whose contents have provided quotes and flesh for thousands of stories that have featured in newspapers around the world, a number of key questions have emerged:

• Did Flower blow the lid off the central and shadowy role played by Coltart in the black armband protest he staged, alongside Olonga, ahead of the World Cup tie against Namibia 10 years ago?

• Does Flower expose Coltart as a member of the inner circle of the politics of Zimbabwe Cricket, from way back in 2003, who could hold secret meetings, in the study at his home with the national team’s top players, during the World Cup, to such an extent he could prepare political statements for them?

• If Coltart could hold secret meetings, with the captain of the Zimbabwe cricket team, without the knowledge of his employers, to organise such a sensitive move, are the ZC authorities justified in viewing the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture with suspicion in everything he touches?

• Does this explain the friction, and a lack of trust, that seemingly exists between Coltart and some ZC leaders who have been hit with travel restrictions, including a ban from entering England, for their alleged political affiliation?

• Did Flower’s revelations last week provide justification to concerns by Givemore Makoni, the ZC convenor of selectors, that Coltart could not be trusted as a neutral referee or player in issues to deal with Zimbabwe Cricket?

Flower, who is now the coach of the England cricket team, told Mitchell, that Coltart was a big part of their black armband protest.

“The meeting I remember most clearly was in David Coltart’s study, at his home, and we sat down and wrote the statement,” Flower said.

“When I say we sat down and wrote the statement, obviously, David Coltart was more eloquent that either Henry or I, and it was important that the language we used in the statement was the right sort of language to get our message across.

“So David, with the input from Henry and I, sort of wrote and edited the statement and I do believe it was David who came up with the idea of having a symbol.

“The black armband was traditionally a symbol of mourning or paying respect to someone, but in this instance it was mourning the death of democracy in our country, and we wanted that message to go to the media and to go out to those who might listen around the world; that democracy was dying in our country, and because of that, human rights abuses were occurring.”

Until now, Flower, widely regarded as the greatest cricketer to emerge out of Zimbabwe, had never publicly spoken about the events leading to their black armband protest.

Duncan Fletcher, another former Zimbabwe captain who rose to coach England, revealed in his autobiography, Behind The Shades, that Flower and Olonga’s black armband protest was a grand political project that involved the participation of opposition politicians and activists.

Fletcher, who is now the coach of India, blew off the cover on the series of co-ordinated secret events, including how Flower and Olonga were smuggled into the England team hotel in Cape Town by Zimbabwean politicians, to discuss their plans for a protest against the Government.

“Before a decision was to be made we welcome two incredibly brave visitors, who came to speak to me and (Nasser) Hussan (then England captain),” wrote Fletcher, in his autobiography, about events that unfolded as the English pondered whether to come to Zimbabwe or boycott the match.

“They were Zimbabwean players, Andy Flower and Henry Olonga, smuggled in by a member of Zimbabwe’s opposition party, the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change), who had spoken to the whole team before taking me and Hussain into an adjacent room, where we met Flower and Olonga.

“They told us then of their plan to wear black armbands during their games in the tournament to mourn that (democracy). They even suggested that we might consider wearing black armbands if we decide to play in Harare.”

Coltart confirms that he went to Cape Town, during that time, and spoke to the England team and, given his contacts with Flower and Olonga then and the project they were working on, he could well be the politician that Fletcher is referring to.

If Coltart had resorted, in Fletcher’s words, to smuggling Flower and Olonga into the England team hotel and addressing the England cricket players, who were torn apart between honouring or boycotting their game in Harare, all behind the back of ZC officials, maybe it explains why there is that bond of lack of trust between the two parties today.

Coltart says he never persuaded England to boycott their World Cup tie against Zimbabwe but, instead, urged them to come and fulfill the match.

They didn’t and have never played a match against Zimbabwe since. ZC officials say the absence of box-office home series, like a contest against England, has cost them approximately US$7 million, in projected earnings, every year and has played a big part in pushing their financial books into the red zone.

Coltart told BBC Radio Five Live that Flower and Olonga made a huge impact, in three different aspects, with their statement and black armband protest.

He said it drew the western countries’ focus attention from what was happening on the farms to “human rights abuses which were being perpetrated against black Zimbabweans.

“What that statement did was to draw attention to the wider human rights abuses in a manner that had never been done before.
“It attracted huge publicity.

“It achieved its purpose of demonstrating a peaceful protest which did not actually disrupt the World Cup but conveyed that powerful message.”

Zimbabwe Independent

By Paidamoyo Muzulu

15 February 2013

THE current stampede by local politicians to represent their parties as candidates in the next crucial elections expected later this year further shows they view political office, not as a means to serve the public, but a route towards business and wealth accumulation, analysts say.

While politicians claim this is democracy at work, the conduct of ministers and MPs during the inclusive government demonstrates they are more concerned with self-aggrandisement than service delivery.

As reported in this paper last week, ministers from the three main parties in the coalition government are demanding exit packages consisting of houses in leafy suburbs, residential stands and top-of-the-range vehicles which they want delivered before the Government of National Unity (GNU)’s tenure ends in June.

Analysts say it is the realisation that political office offers huge material benefits which has triggered the ongoing mad rush across parties by officials who want to contest primary polls and feature as candidates in the general elections.

Development specialist Maxwell Saungweme said the demand of houses, cars and stands by ministers has created the ongoing jostling by senior party officials to stand as candidates in the next elections. He also said ministers’ requests were outrageous given their monumental failures in service delivery.

“After presiding over the collapse of the education and other social service sectors in the country, and squandering millions in dubious processes like the constitutional review exercise, these politicians want to get pensions in the form of houses and cars for the disservice they have rendered to the nation,” Saungweme said.

Long-suffering Zimbabweans’ initial relief at the formation of the unity government comprising erstwhile rivals, Zanu PF and the two MDC formations with expectations of a new start was short-lived as hope soon turned into despair when the three parties conspired to establish a bloated cabinet with 44 ministers, including the Attorney General who is ex-officio.

This was exacerbated by the appointment of a further 10 governors and 19 deputy ministers who enjoy ministerial perks although they do not sit in cabinet or act as ministers when the incumbents are away.

Each of the ministers received two personal vehicles in 2009 upon assuming office and they got a new fleet in 2011, which included Land Rover Discoveries, latest Mercedes Benz E-class, Jeep Cherokees, Toyota SUVs and Isuzu KB320 D-techs, among other brands.

However, Education minister David Coltart broke ranks with colleagues when he turned down some of the executive perks on moral grounds. He said it was untenable to squander so much money of cars while learning institutions received paltry funding.

Finance minister Tendai Biti has complained about VIP’s endless foreign trips, which gobble millions of dollars, with very little to show for the globetrotting.

These benefits were also extended to MPs and councillors at local authorities. MPs and councillors also received perks that among other things included off-road Isuzu and Toyota bakkies.

Their luxury is partly sustained by punitive taxation of the few operating corporates and the estimated 10% of Zimbabweans still in the taxable bracket of formal employment.

Analysts say politicians’ benefits and demands are not matched by service delivery which in cases continues to deteriorate. Most residents in urban areas often go without access to clean drinking water for longer periods, hospitals remain inadequately staffed and under-equipped, and power cuts continue, among other things.

To compound matters, the public transport system remains shambolic while many roads are badly potholed.

As a result analysts say ministers’ demands are “criminal” considering government is broke and people are overtaxed.

“If it is indeed true that ministers are demanding exit packages then they are shameless and self-centred,” political analyst Charles Mangongera said. “Ministers are not executives of blue-chip firms who must get golden handshakes when they leave office. They are public servants who must be driven by national interest, not personal gain and must therefore always exercise frugality in their use of national resources.”

Political commentator Blessing Vava, who is also National Constitutional Assembly taskforce member, said ministers were greedy and insensitive.

“It goes to show the greed and insensitivity of our political leaders,” said Vava. “Theirs is the politics of their bellies rather than serving the nation. Asking for exit packages from where and what for? Did they apply for those jobs or it was voluntary? They should not expect any packages above what they got already, which is too much anyway.”

Former student leader Clever Bere questioned the calibre of Zimbabwean politicians, saying it is time the electorate looked for alternatives if the country is to move forward. “It is incumbent upon the people to organise themselves and campaign against this sort of abuse of power and wasteful management of public affairs,” Bere said. “We cannot keep quiet while politicians loot state coffers at the expense of important and what should be priority national projects which are being sacrificed due to lack of funding, while ministers abuse public funds to maintain lavish and extravagant lifestyles they can’t afford.”

The Chronicle

By Lungile Tshuma

14 February 2013

“Some of our teachers were telling us to go for extra lessons. Incentives became an important part in their life than our education,” cried a pupil who failed her Ordinary Level examinations.

“Sometimes they would tell us that the Government is not paying them enough money. As a result, they would teach for a few minutes and instruct us to go and read for ourselves.”

The pupil wrote seven subjects last year and got a chain of Ds. She attended a boarding school in Matabeleland South.

The mediocre performance by pupils who sat for O-level examinations last year has sparked an outcry from citizens across the country who think that the pass rate was too low. They are asking why this is so and what can be done to achieve a better pass rate.

Statistics from Zimsec show that only 31 767 pupils attained passes in five subjects or more out of 172 698 who sat for the public examinations. This translates to an 18,4 percent pass rate, down from last year’s 19,5 percent. But an analysis of previous pass rates shows that the 2012 one is the third best in a decade.

O-Level Entries and pass rates analysis:

Year  Wrote 5++  Passed 5++ National %

Subjects Subjets with C+ Pass Rate

2000 264 705 36 659 13.88

2001  272 125 38 077 13.99

2002 274 809 37 796 13.75

2003 275 737 35 783 13.0

2004  271 084 29 036 10.2

2005 251 755 30 778 12.2

2006 223 968 31 246 14.2

2007 260 430 25 668 9.85

2008  87 201 20 630 14.44

2009 142 840 16 859 19.33

2010 164 340 27 089 16.5

2011 161 653 31 529 19.50

2012 172 698 31 767 18.4

Some blame the Government for not prioritising the education sector while academics say the country is yet to fully recover from the massive brain drain of teachers with temporary teachers failing to properly fit into the shoes of qualified teachers.

Most schools are scoring poor results because they are ill-equipped, said respected educationist, Professor Phineas Makhurane.

“Infrastructure is poor and there is a shortage of books. You might find out that a single book is used by the whole class,” said Prof Makhurane, the founding vice-chancellor of the National University of Science and Technology (Nust).

He said there is separation of powers between Zimsec and the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts, and Culture which is bad. Zimsec sets examinations based on the curriculum which would have been laid down by the Curriculum Development Unit which is under the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.

“Zimsec should be involved in setting the curriculum. Zimsec assumes that pupils have done experiments, it assumes that teachers are there in schools and it also assumes schools have good infrastructure.

“They mark exams based on the curriculum and  they cannot reduce their standards because schools are poorly equipped,” he said.

He however, was quick to point out that Zimsec is not responsible for these poor results.

Zimta chief executive officer, Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said: “This poor pass rate is a small deviation from the    norm. It is a tolerable deviation.”

There is need for special assessment of which schools are performing badly, he said, adding: “Sometimes the nature of schools contribute to poor performance. Some school have double seating, the afternoon session and the morning session.

“In such a scenario the teacher-to-child contact is short, it is about four hours as compared to boarding schools which is eight hours,” he said.

There are a number of measures that have been taken to improve the standards of education in the country but they have failed to produce expected results. For example, Unicef is providing textbooks and other necessities under the Education Transition Fund, but results on the ground are not remarkable.

“The pass rate for 2012 is 18,4 percent for the 268 854 children who wrote. So while these results are very serious they must be seen in their proper context. Enormous damage has been done to our education system in the last decade,” said the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart.

“For example we lost 20 000 teachers in 2007 and 2008 and the damage done by that alone to a generation of children cannot be easily undone. While we have made significant strides in stabilising our education system much remains to be done.

“Relevant to this is the fact that we concentrated on the primary sector first — for example we got textbooks out to the primary sector in 2011. Textbooks for secondary schools were only distributed at the end of 2011 and we are still in the process of completing that exercise.

“So many of the children who wrote O-levels last year at best only had textbooks in Form Four. Anyone who expects children to do well without textbooks simply doesn’t understand the basics of a good education system.”

Mr Ndlovu said the shortage of teachers is another cause of poor results. He said temporary teachers do not have the required skills to improve the pass rate.

“The country needs about 25 000 teachers, this shows that about a million pupils are in need of teachers. There is need of a proper budget to replace qualified teachers with temporary teachers,” said Mr Ndlovu.

Asked why Zimta tends to concentrate more on advocating for better salaries for teachers than working towards improving pupils results he said:

“We are a professional organisation. We balance between trade unionism and professional issues. We are socially responsible and we take pupils’ needs first. We managed to donate 10 000 books to our learners last year.”

The Grade 7 results for last year are also as poor as the O-level ones. In 2009, 272 397 children wrote Grade 7 exams and the pass rate was 20,11 percent. In 2012, 292 375 children wrote the examinations and the pass rate is 31,5 percent which is an improvement.  But others say this slight increase is still unconvincing.

The Advanced Level pass rate has been impressive; perhaps because of the bottle-neck system that is in place which ensures that the more academically gifted progress to that grade.

In 2008, 33 985 children wrote A-levels with a pass rate of 67,21 percent. Last year 36 678 children wrote the public tests attaining a pass rate of 82,09 percent.

Minister Coltart attributed the miserable performance to lack of Government support.

The damage done to the education sector by the chaos of the last decade (and under funding for two decades), he said, is incalculable but the country is seeing the effects through these low pass rates.

There is a need for collective work from parents and schools, said Dr Mabhena Mpofu, a lecturer in teacher education at Nust who worked as a headmaster for 20 years. He said another cause of the failure is poor supervision from school heads and other senior officials.

“The quality of supervision from the regional, district offices and the headmaster is poor. Supervision should not be done for the purpose of fulfilling the script. School heads should be exemplary, if they spend most of the day out of school, teachers will also do the same. Absenteeism will be rife at school.

“There must be a continuous development among teachers. Teachers should be equipped with relevant skills that suit their pupils. Many workshops should be conducted within the province, district and clusters. Look at the weakness that teachers have and develop them. Increasing the number of visits will not improve the results because teachers will be prepared.  Sometimes teachers will be under pressure so they might not perform well,” he said

Another  lecturer at Nust, Dr George Shava, said the curriculum is unfair to pupils. He said the curriculum does not take into consideration efforts taken by pupils and teachers through their learning and teaching years respectively.

“The curriculum should be revised so that course mark can be part of the final mark. It is unfair for pupils to be assessed for two hours (during examinations). More so, this curriculum is overloaded. Twelve subjects are too many for pupils. They should combine some of these subjects to make them a single subject so that pupils can write at least five subjects,” he said.

The Herald

By Felix Share

14 February 2013

CLOSE to 80 percent of school headmasters countrywide are in an acting capacity, amid reports that those aspiring to fill the posts do not have the requisite qualifications. Most education officials at district and provincial offices are also serving in an acting capacity as the freeze on vacant posts by Treasury is affecting the education system. Some teachers have been acting headmasters for over 12 years. This has compromised the administration of most schools countrywide, leading to low pass rates. Government has 3 318 posts with substantive headmasters in primary schools and 1 109 filled posts in secondary schools.

This is against over 8 000 primary and secondary schools in the country, including satellite centres. Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart yesterday said most of the posts were not being filled because the educators lacked the required qualifications. “We now require people to have university degrees while the issue of experience also counts,” he said. “The situation in schools is unacceptable as a large number of headmasters are serving in an acting capacity.

“There is also lack of Treasury concurrence as the freeze on posts has also taken toll on the education system. Sometimes we might have a few qualified people, but it is hard to take them on substantive basis because of the freeze.” Minister Coltart said lack of incentives has also demotivated teachers aspiring to be headmasters. “There is a difference of a few dollars between a headmaster and a qualified teacher, but the workload for the headmaster is more,” he said.

“In that case, a person opts to remain without much responsibility because the salary would be almost the same.”

Minister Coltart said there were administrative problems in processing applications for new headmasters.

“The process one goes through to be confirmed as a headmaster is tedious, while those who want to be re-admitted into the sector are facing similar problems he said.

“It is our hope that Government would understand our plight and appoint the headmasters on substantive basis to save our schools.”

Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said some teachers had been acting heads for many years.

Public Service Commission stipulate that a person is supposed to act for six months before being confirmed a substantive head.

“To us, Government is using cheap labour because it does not want to appoint someone who has acted for 12 years to become a substantive head,” said Mr Ndlovu.

“To make matters worse, there is no acting allowances being paid to those teachers. This is a national crisis because most of the district and provincial offices have officials serving on an acting capacity.”

Mr Ndlovu said lack of substantive heads would affect the quality of education. “This affects supervision and obviously exam results for a particular institution will be affected.” Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary general, Mr Raymond Majongwe said most schools were led by acting headmasters who,

“constantly pay bribes and kickbacks to their superiors like DEOs and PEDs for them to remain in those positions.” “Most of these people pay to remain in those posts, but they are not able to make affirmative administrative decisions,” he said.

“Long back, there used to be headmaster refresher courses at Chishawasha, but they have since vanished. It was during such courses that they were taught about administrative issues.” The Zimsec November 2012 O-level results released this week showed that the pass rate had dropped from 19,5 percent to 18,4. Only 31 767 candidates attained passes in five subjects out 172 698 who sat for the examinations.

The Herald

14 February 2013

THE Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, was last night expected to meet the chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket, Peter Chingoka, to discuss problems bedevilling the sport in the country.

Coltart yesterday indicated on his Facebook wall that he was going to hold a meeting with Chingoka “to discuss Zimbabwe Cricket”.

In the meeting with Chingoka, the two were expected to discuss mostly the thorny issue of the implementation of the controversial directive by the Minister which stated that only people who have represented the country at national level, in those sporting disciplines, would now be considered for a position on the panel of selectors.

But this was not received well, with some sections of the sporting associations, especially cricket where  convener of selectors, Givemore Makoni, claimed that black technical staff could systematically be driven out of the game’s key structures, which deal with the selection and coaching of national teams, triggering another split along racial lines.

Furthermore, ZC went on and indicated that they would not follow the directive as it was in violation of their constitution, in breach of their contractual obligations and in conflict with the International Cricket Council’s Articles of Association.

However, the Sports Commission went on to amend the directive where they stated that “not less than 50 percent of the selectors shall have represented Zimbabwe as athletes/players at the senior level in the particular sport discipline provided that all chairpersons/conveners shall be former national team players/athletes”.

And still the ZC found that this was not in the best interest of the game. Meanwhile, yesterday marked four years since Coltart assumed office as Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture and he said that “we have done a lot to stabilise this sector but there is so much still to be done”. Yesterday saw Coltart visiting Harare’s Magamba Hockey Stadium for an inspection of the facility which was built for the 1995 All-Africa Games.

Magamba Hockey Stadium is now in a dilapidated state and it needs major refurbishments ahead of the World Series tournament which the International Hockey Federation would like it to be staged there in 2014.

“Today (yesterday) has been very much a sports orientated day. It started off with an inspection tour of Magamba Hockey Stadium which we are starting to rehabilitate. This is in preparation for the FIH World Series Hockey tournament scheduled for 2014 that the president of the FIH promised me he would allocate to Zimbabwe at the Olympics last year if we rehabilitated Magamba,” Coltart wrote on his Facebook wall yesterday.

After inspecting Magamba Hockey Stadium, Coltart went to hold “a series of meetings” yesterday morning, including one with Paul Nenjerama, the new chairman of the Zimbabwe Boxing Board of Control.
He, however, did not disclose what was discussed during this meeting.

The Chronicle

By Prosper Ndlovu

13 February 2013

HUNDREDS of pupils in Bulawayo are forced to learn under crowded conditions amid reports that there is a serious shortage of classrooms at the city’s schools.

According to the council’s latest report, most schools have a bloated enrollment that makes it difficult to conduct lessons effectively.

Bulawayo has only 128 primary schools and 50 secondary schools.

Most schools are council-run while the remainder are either government or private schools.

The Director of Housing and Community Services, Mr Isaiah Magagula, said enrolment in some council schools was more than 2 000 pupils.

“Some schools have eclipsed the 2 000 enrolment mark. Enrolment figures for Tategulu and Mahlathini Primary schools in Cowdray Park is 2 283 and 2 091 respectively, Dumezweni Primary in Pumula South is 2 199 while Senzangakhona Primary in Emganwini is 2 164,” said Mr Magagula.

“This is worrying, as these schools are no longer manageable for effective learning. This calls for urgent construction of additional facilities to ease congestion in these schools”.

A majority of schools, both primary and secondary, have resorted to hot seating, as they cannot cope with the increasing enrolment. In some instances pupils in different grades share a single classroom.

The situation has been compounded by the introduction of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) classes which have seen most pupils under the programme conducting lessons in the open or under temporary sheds.

“Ngwalongwalo Primary in Pumula South is heavily congested. There are few classrooms and you find three different grades sharing one room. This is very bad especially during the rainy season as pupils will have nowhere to go,” said Councillor Siboniso Khumalo for Ward 27. Bulawayo provincial education director Mr Dan Moyo said the few classroom blocks could not accommodate the large numbers of pupils.

“Enrolment at both primary and secondary schools has increased this year. This is the same in schools in the eastern suburbs but the situation is worse in western suburbs where many schools have doubled the enrolment. This induces pressure on the lifespan of infrastructure which is overused.

“The learning is also affected because if pupils go to school in the afternoon it means they spend the whole day playing,” said Mr Moyo.

The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, concurred and said that the Government was aware of the shortage of schools in the country.

He said Bulawayo and Harare were the most affected.

“We are aware of the issue but the irony of it is that it is a demonstration of the improvement of the education system as more children are coming to school. The problem is that there have not been adequate schools in the country in the last decade,” said Minister Coltart.

“In some areas such as Cowdray Park, hot seating has tripled. The situation is the same in Harare. This year enrolment at most schools increased sharply. This needs millions of dollars to build new schools, but unfortunately there is no easy answer to that because Treasury has not made any allocations for that”.

The Minister said congestion at schools was partly responsible for the pupils’ poor performance.

“Hot seating is not good at all. Children come to school very late and do not have much time in school. The ideal teacher to pupil ratio for primary schools is supposed to be 1:40 and lower than that in secondary schools. But what we have now is that most classes exceed 40 pupils. This has a very negative effect on the quality of education,” said Minister Coltart.

He, however, could not give details of the enrolment patterns in the country, saying his ministry was working on compiling a report starting from 2009.

Meanwhile, Bulawayo councillors have also expressed concern over delays in payment of fees saying the trend was affecting the development of the schools.

Mr Magagula said although there had been improvements in payment of fees in the first and second term last year, the situation changed in the third term.

He said the city was owed more than $500 000 in unpaid fees for the present and last term.

Mr Magagula said some Grade Seven pupils that wrote their final examinations last year were still owing council.

Mr Magagula also said the Government owes about $19 525 in unpaid fees for pupils under the Basic Education Assistance Module (Beam).