Coltart Pulls Back Criticism in Private School Shares Row

EDUCATION Minister David Coltart said Wednesday he had reached an agreement with his indigenisation counterpart, Saviour Kasukuwere over a bid to force private schools to come under majority black control in line with the country’s empowerment laws.

“I am pleased to report that I had a very constructive discussion with (Empowerment) Minister Saviour Kasukuwere this (Wednesday) evening regarding the Indigenisation notice recently issued,” Coltart wrote on his Facebook Wall.

“We are agreed that the rights contained in section 20(3) of the Constitution, namely the right of religious and other groups to set up and run schools, will be fully respected by Government.

“Accordingly all mission, church, religious, community and trust schools run not for profit will not be subject to any indigenisation policy.”

Kasukuwere triggered jitters in the exclusive private schools sector last week when he issued a government notice ordering them to comply with the country’s empowerment law which requires 51 per cent shareholding by locals.

Explaining the rationale behind the shock move, Kasukuwere’s advisor, Psychology Maziwisa who blogs for NewZimbabwe.com wrote: “Trust-run schools in the country which seem rather disinclined to reflect the Zimbabwean dream where everyone is treated equally despite their race or financial circumstance, where local people and institutions are given priority over alien ones.

“They still prefer Cambridge exams to the Zimsec ones; their fees are just too high and white kids seem to get far much easier access than black kids.”

Coltart dismissed the move as “unlawful, unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable.”

But he said Wednesday the deal agreed with Kasukuwere should help provide clarity going forward.

“I hope that the agreement in this regard will settle all those parents, teachers, administrators and other interested in the education sector who feared that this critically important component of our education sector was going to be disrupted,” he said

“I encourage all those who have been concerned this past week to stop worrying and to get on with the fine work they have been doing in delivering a quality education to tens of thousands of Zimbabwean children.”

The coalition government remains divided over the country’s empowerment programme which is being pushed by President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party. Rivals claim the policy is aimed at further enrich already wealthy and well-connected Zanu PF elite.

Divisions have also been emerged within Zanu PF with Kasukuwere clashing publicly with central bank governor Gideon Gono over application of the law to the financial services sector.

Kasukuwere wants key banks such as Barclays, Standard Chartered brought under local control, accusing them of refusing to lend to black Zimbabweans while Gono argues that forced seizures could destabilise the sector and imperil the country’s fragile economic recovery.