The Herald

David Coltart

10 May 2013

IT is hard to adequately convey just how pleased I am following Zimbabwe’s One Day International series win against Bangladesh on Wednesday.

The best I can put it is “absolutely delighted”. I am particularly pleased that Vusi Sibanda and Sean Williams did so well — they are good buddies, enjoy each other’s company, and that was obvious from the field of play today.

I have felt that both have been underrated and am so pleased that they have both shown so emphatically how they are critically important members of the Zimbabwean team in all three types of the modern game of cricket. For those who question what I say regarding Sean and T20s, just look at his stats — he a batting an average of 38 for international T20s!

I think that key to this victory was that we got the selections right.

But of course as I said after Sunday’s game, the most encouraging thing about the manner of this victory was that it was based on mature, sensible cricket played by the entire team.

We have some great new bowlers coming up and it was good to see Brian Vitori making a comeback.

Although Brendan Taylor failed with the bat today he clearly is a good captain who leads by example and who is building a good spirit in the team. So all in all a very encouraging few days for Zimbabwean cricket.

After last Friday’s poor defeat against Bangladesh in the second Test, I described that game as the nadir of cricket in Zimbabwe — the lowest point — and my hope is that that is correct and we now start building and realising our true potential.

However, as good as this team is, it can be a lot better and part of that is creating favourable conditions to attract back the likes of Tatenda Taibu, the Ervine brothers and Craig Ballance. I may sound like a stuck record in that regard but I believe that this is possible.

Some of these players may struggle to force their way into this side but for Zimbabwean cricket to become great, and for it to be able to compete against the stronger cricketing nations, it needs to have a strong A side with players keeping the national team on their toes.

For this to happen, we simply must get all our top eligible players back in our set up.

David Coltart is the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture

News Day

By Feluna Nleya

9 May 2013

EDUCATION minister David Coltart yesterday defended the sending away of pupils over non-payment of fees, saying parents should pay up before schools open to avoid inconveniences.

His comments came amid reports that pupils in many parts of the country were turned away from school after failing to pay school fees at the beginning of the second term on Tuesday.

“This is a perennial problem and starts at the beginning of the term. It is regrettable, but the schools need money to operate,” Coltart said.

“If parents do not pay, schools will not have any money to run them and they will eventually close. I ask headmasters to be sympathetic and give parents (payment) terms that allow the pupils to go to school because this will only make the kids suffer and lag behind,” said Coltart.

“But parents also have to be responsible and pay their children’s school fees on time so as to avoid this when schools open. Government has to invest more in the education sector, but that is not possible at the moment because there is no money. So, this is the time where we ask parents to prioritise their children’s fees.”

At some schools, members of the School Development Committees reportedly stood by the school gates demanding proof of payment and turning away pupils.

A parent who requested anonymity told NewsDay that it was unfair for school authorities to demand payment on the opening day.

“How can they chase away my children on the first day of school? This is unnecessary and we urge the ministry to act on this kind of behaviour by school authorities,” the parent said.

New Zimbabwe

8 May 2013

IT IS hard to adequately convey just how pleased I am following Zimbabwe’s One Day International series win against Bangladesh on Wednesday. The best I can put it is “absolutely delighted”.

I am particularly pleased that Vusi Sibanda and Sean Williams did so well – they are good buddies, enjoy each other’s company, and that was obvious from the field of play today. I have felt that both have been underrated and am so pleased that they have both shown so emphatically how they are critically important members of the Zimbabwean team in all three types of the modern game of cricket.

For those who question what I say regarding Sean and T20s, just look at his stats – he a batting an average of 38 for international T20s! I think that key to this victory was that we got the selections right.

But of course as I said after Sunday’s game, the most encouraging thing about the manner of this victory was that it was based on mature, sensible cricket played by the entire team. We have some great new bowlers coming up and it was good to see Brian Vitori making a comeback.

Although Brendan Taylor failed with the bat today he clearly is a good captain who leads by example and who is building a good spirit in the team. So all in all a very encouraging few days for Zimbabwean cricket.

After last Friday’s poor defeat against Bangladesh in the second Test, I described that game as the nadir of cricket in Zimbabwe – the lowest point – and my hope is that that is correct and we now start building and realising our true potential. However, as good as this team is, it can be a lot better and part of that is creating favourable conditions to attract back the likes of Tatenda Taibu, the Ervine brothers and Craig Ballance.

I may sound like a stuck record in that regard but I believe that this is possible. Some of these players may struggle to force their way into this side but for Zimbabwean cricket to become great, and for it to be able to compete against the stronger cricketing nations, it needs to have a strong A side with players keeping the national team on their toes. For this to happen, we simply must get all our top eligible players back in our set up.

This weekend my home city Bulawayo will host for the first time ever two international T20 cricket matches at Queens. It promises to be a highly entertaining two days of T20 cricket.

So come on Bulawayo – let’s all go and pack Queens out – and in the process show the world which will be watching that there is quite a bit of spirit and life left in our beloved city yet!

The matches are this Saturday and Sunday the 11th and 12th May, starting at 1.30pm.

The Zimbabwean

By Edgar Gweshe

8 May 2013

Government inaction over untrained teachers in private colleges has riled teachers’ unions and compromised learning standards countrywide.

The Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, Raymond Majongwe, said politicians were behind the privatisation of education in Zimbabwe. “The government is trying to privatise education. The people starting these private colleges are politically connected. The truth of the matter is that if this issue of privatisation of education is not handled properly, it will send the education sector into turmoil.

“If you look at these private colleges, even the infrastructure is not up to scratch. Also, the people creating these colleges do not have the administrative skills to run them. Issues like drug abuse and teenage pregnancies are rampant at these institutions,” said Majongwe.

He blamed the government for turning a blind eye. He said efforts to engage the government over the issue had failed. “The registration of these private colleges is quite dubious and our investigations have shown that some people are pocketing the registration money,” added Majongwe.

Teachers Union of Zimbabwe Secretary General, Ottoman Magaya, said: “While we want to promote the growth of the education sector, we must not be seen to be compromising standards. The Ministry of Education must make sure that students are going to get knowledge from qualified and competent personnel. They must visit these schools and make sure they adhere to the regulations.”

When contacted for comment, Education, Sport, Art and Culture Minister, David Coltart said: “Part of the problem is that some of these colleges are set up without the necessary approval and it is difficult to track them down. We have under qualified teachers in government schools as well as in private colleges because we do not have a sufficient number of qualified teachers in the country.”

News Day

By Constantine Chimakure

7 May 2013

IN our edition yesterday, Education minister David Coltart (DC)told NewsDay Editor Constantine Chimakure (ND) about the challenges faced by the education sector.

In this final installment, the minister speaks on how the sector can be improved. Below are the excerpts:

ND: What needs to be done to improve the quality of our education, mainly pass rates at both “O” and “A” Levels?
DC: It is very hard to describe in a few sentences what must be done to improve the quality of our education. The starting point is a massive increase in the amount of money allocated to the education sector.  Most of that money needs to be directed towards improving teachers’ conditions of service so that we can attract a much higher calibre of teachers into the teaching profession. In addition, massive investment needs to be made in the construction of new schools and in the rehabilitation of existing schools. Work on the review and reform of the curriculum needs to be expedited so that our curriculum and pedagogical practices are brought in line with the best in the world.

ND: What are the problems affecting BEAM? How many children are benefiting from BEAM and how are they selected?
DC: BEAM faces major challenges.  I should stress that this programme is not run by my ministry, but is run by the Ministry of Labour and Social Services and to that extent comment should be sought from the relevant minister.

Be that as it may, the review of BEAM done last year by the Ministry of Labour revealed the following challenges. More than half of the identified orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe (53,5%) presently receive no support from BEAM.  This amounts to some 308 000 children. So while hundreds of thousands of children are benefiting from BEAM, unacceptably high number of children remain out of school.
BEAM recipients are selected by BEAM committees throughout the country. In theory, they are selected on the basis of objective criteria relating to poverty, but I received numerous complaints countrywide that these criteria are often not applied in the selection of children.  In short if we are to deal with the challenges being faced by BEAM,  it needs a massive investment by government and reform of the selection process.

ND: What is the state of the examination council, Zimsec?
DC: Zimsec has been stabilised and my view is that it is improving in its service delivery. The number of children writing examinations has steadily increased since 2009. Examinations are being marked on time and the integrity of the entire examination system is within the bounds of internationally acceptable standards.

ND: Why is it yearly government grapples to pay examination markers and there are results mix-ups?
DC: Zimsec has battled to pay examination markers primarily because Treasury has not released monies due to   Zimsec in respect of Grade 7 examinations, which has undermined Zimsec’s cash flow situation. This in turn has affected Zimsec’s ability to pay examination markers on time.

There have been a few results mix-ups, but they equate to a tiny percentile of the examination papers sat for.

Furthermore, Zimsec fees are a quarter of those charged by, for example, Cambridge and in the context of the very limited budget at its disposal I think that Zimsec delivers very high quality service.

Indeed, I do not think that we fully appreciate what a great national asset we have in Zimsec. In saying this I do not in any way reject the criticisms, but believe that there is a steady improvement in the quality of the service provided by Zimsec.

ND: Why is the ministry allowing paid extra-lessons by teachers? Doesn’t this disadvantage the poor who cannot afford to pay for the extra lessons?

DC: The ministry has not banned  the provision by teachers of extra lessons where extra lessons given by teachers as a genuine attempt to improve a child’s understanding of a particular subject that is in the best interests of that particular child.

However, when teachers deliberately do not complete the curriculum and then give extra lessons and charge for them to make up for that deficiency, that amounts to professional misconduct and subject to disciplinary action. These practices do disadvantage   poor children and are unacceptable.

ND: Schools open (today), will school fees go up?
DC:  Government school fees will not go up this term. School fees in non-government schools and   levies in all schools may go up subject to the dictates of the Education Act and Secretary of Education circulars being complied with.

The law and policy is that before fees in non-government schools and levies  in all schools raised they must  receive the approval of a majority of parents  who attend a meeting called  to approve such increases where  there has been a 20% quorum.

In addition, any such increases must also be approved by the Secretary of Education. Any increases made without these procedures having been followed are illegal and unenforceable.

ND: As a parting note, what do you want to say to Zimbabweans?
DC: Although the education sector has stabilised and improved in some ways it remains in crisis.

If we are to resolve the crisis, the education sector must be treated in a non-partisan manner and must receive a much greater proportion of the national budget in real terms. This will require a sustained investment in education over many decades. For example the improvement in the education sectors in Singapore, South Korea and Finland has been achieved over the last four decades. In other words, Zimbabwe’s education sector will not be improved overnight.

However, if our dream is to transform   Zimbabwe into a first rate nation then we have to first transform our education system.

There is a grave danger that we will simply rest on our laurels and be deluded into thinking that because our education system has been outstanding in the past it will naturally continue to remain in this state.

As good as our education system has been in the past,  it faces very serious challenges.

Those challenges can only be addressed if difficult political decisions are taken to cut back on other areas of government spending and to invest in education.

Tied to this, of course, is the implementation of realistic economic policies which will attract investment, both domestic and international, which in turn will see increased revenues going to Treasury for onward investment in the education sector.

News Day

By Wonai Masvingise

7 May 2013

EDUCATION minister David Coltart has thanked teachers for their dedication to work despite poor remuneration.

Teachers and civil servants in Zimbabwe are among the poorest paid in the region earning an average of $250 which is below the poverty datum line (PDL) recorded in January as standing at $519.

In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, the Education minister thanked teachers, who resume work today after a month-long school holiday, for their perseverance even though they were not paid enough to sustain their families.

“I thank teachers for their dedication and commitment. I am aware of the difficult working conditions that they have to work under and I want to reassure them that I am doing everything possible to address those concerns,” Coltart said.

Coltart expressed concern over the issue of some headmasters who were refusing to accept examination fees from some pupils.

“I had a few complaints against headmasters who were refusing to accept payment for examination fees at some schools. No child should be kept from writing exams and I hope those headmasters will heed this warning,” he said.

In a survey done by NewsDay yesterday, fees at most government schools had not changed, but a few schools in urban areas had slightly revised their fees upwards this term.

Most parents interviewed by NewsDay around Harare said fees at most government schools had not changed from the previous term.

Muchaneta Shumba, who was buying uniforms for her daughter in Grade 5 at Kuwadzana 4 Primary School, said fees had not gone up at her child’s school.

“We paid $50 for fees last term and they have asked for $50 again this term, school fees have not gone up,” Shumba said.

Tariro Hove, another parent with a child at Neuso High School in Sanyati, said the school had not changed fees from last term.

“We paid $35 in school fees last term and this term we are also paying the same. It hasn’t changed,” Hove said.

Samuel Moyo, a parent with a Grade 1 pupil at Fitchlea Primary School in Kwekwe, said fees at the school had gone up by $30.

“We approved a school fees increase late last term so that we can have more resources to develop the school since no aid is coming from government,” Moyo said.

News Day

By Constantine Chimakure

6 May 2013

SCHOOLS open for the second term tomorrow. The education sector is slowly, but surely recovering from a decade of economic decay that resulted in massive brain drain. NewsDay Editor Constantine Chimakure (ND) last week spoke to Education minister David Coltart (DC) on the state of education in the country. Below are the excerpts.

ND: What is the state of primary and secondary education in the country?

DC: Although the state of primary and secondary education in Zimbabwe has greatly improved since the advent of the inclusive government and the sector has been stabilised, education remains in a state of crisis.

On the positive side there has been a steady growth in enrolments at primary and secondary level and objective data shows that access to education is improving.

The gender parity indices for the same years, ranging between 96 and 98, show marginal gender disparities overall. There has also been a significant improvement in the provision of learning materials and the textbook/pupil ratio in core subjects is now 1:1.

Whilst on the positive side enrolment has increased, provision of learning materials has improved the supply of qualified and competent teachers to all schools.

Objective data shows large disparities between schools in rural and urban areas with regard to the availability of qualified teachers. Learning outcomes, measured both through a recent sample-based learning assessment and public examinations, reveal a serious problem, particularly in the lower grades, where illiteracy rates are below expectations, which in turn cause learning achievement lags that persist, and worsen, as pupils progress through school.

Financing for education remains a serious problem with persistent low morale experienced by many teachers . . Although in theory education remains a top priority of all three political parties in the inclusive government, in reality the investment in education remains way below what it should be.

ND: What were the problems in education when you became minister?

DC: In 2008, the education sector virtually collapsed. It is estimated that in 2008 there were less than 30 full teaching days. Between 2007 and 2008 some 20 000 teachers left the profession. When I took office in February 2009 most of our 8 000 schools were not even open,

90 000 teachers were on strike, the Zimsec examinations which had been set the previous November had not even been marked and the textbook/pupil ratio was at best one to 15.

The headquarters building was in a complete state of disrepair with the lifts not working, all the toilets blocked and no water in the 18 story Ambassador House.

Ambassador House was emblematic of the entire (education) sector. Relations between teachers’ trade unions and the ministry were very poor. The curriculum was last comprehensively reviewed in 1986 and the recommendations of the Nziramzanga report had not even begun to be implemented.

It would take a book to explain in detail how most of these challenges have been addressed. Suffice it to say that four years on all our schools are now open. Last year we had the least interrupted education year in a decade, the textbook/pupil ratio is 1:1 and we are now starting to reform the curriculum and have commenced a programme to rehabilitate many of our schools.

The most important challenge to address in the beginning was to get teachers back into schools and to establish a rapport with the teaching profession. I started off with a series of meetings with the teacher trade unions and brought their leaders on to my national education advisory board. I ensured that the teacher trade unions were involved in the formulation of policy and, for example, were given an opportunity to have their say in the formulation of new education regulations.

I arranged for meetings between the Minister of Finance and trade union leaders so that they could understand the gravity of the financial crisis facing the Zimbabwean government. I also authorised the controversial policy of teacher incentives as I realised that government itself did not have the resources to pay teachers adequately. I stress that this was a policy which had already been implemented prior to me taking office and what I’ve tried to do is to refine the policy.

I also immediately engaged the donor community which in September 2009 established the education transition fund. Although government has picked up all of teachers official salaries, the bulk of the non-salary expenditure in the last four years has been paid for through the education transition fund. The fund has provided some 23 million textbooks and in the current phase two has embarked on a very ambitious programme of school grants (to be used to rehabilitate school infrastructure), curriculum review, teacher retraining, the establishment of an education management information system (a computer-based data collection system linking head office to or are provincial and district offices and ultimately all schools) and the teaching of out-of-school children.

ND: Tell us more about the sourcing of textbooks?

DC: In the last four years we have managed to source over 23 million textbooks for primary and secondary school children. All of these textbooks were sourced through the education transition fund from Zimbabwean publishing houses. All the books were printed within Sadc. Over three million children have benefited.

ND: To what extent did the teacher-brain drain affected our education and how many teachers are currently working in our schools?

DC: During the final years of economic turmoil prior to the establishment of the inclusive government, we lost approximately 20 000 teachers. Even more serious than the total was the fact that most of the teachers lost were our best qualified teachers, namely those qualified to teach maths and science.

The loss of these teachers has had the most serious impact on the quality of our education. Related to this has been the drift of qualified teachers from rural schools to urban schools which has resulted in a huge disparity for example in the Grade 7 results between rural and urban schools.

In 2009, I declared an amnesty and encouraged all teachers to return to work. That amnesty has been partially successful and we estimate that some 15 000 teachers have come back into the system. Sadly, however, many of our best qualified teachers remain outside of Zimbabwe as our conditions of service still do not match those available, for example, in South Africa. We now have approximately 106 000 teachers in our schools.

ND: What is the state of our schools in terms of infrastructure and learning materials?

DC: The state of the infrastructure on our schools remains very poor. In real terms the investment made by government in education has declined for the last two decades and this is primarily reflected in the crumbling state of most of our schools. There is also a serious shortage of classroom space, especially in Harare and Bulawayo, where many schools hot seat. In Harare we need at least another 30 more schools then we have.

Although the textbook/pupil ratio in core subjects is now good they remain very serious shortages of textbooks for ancillary subjects.

ND: How can the issue of teachers’ remuneration resolved?

DC: The issue of teachers’ remuneration can only be resolved when government recognises the teaching profession needs to be remunerated in line with the legal, medical, engineering and architectural professions. The countries in the world with the best education systems, such as Singapore, South Korea and Finland are also the countries where the teaching profession is one of the most revered professions. The teaching profession used to be one of the top professions in Zimbabwe 50 years ago, but is no longer respected.

In other words, government has to resolve to pay teachers substantially more than they receive now and work must be done to improve the living conditions of teachers especially in rural areas where many teachers live in ramshackle houses without access to acceptable ablutions.

Furthermore, teachers also need to be respected better by government and incidence of intimidation and violence directed against teachers must cease.

Sunday News

By Vusumuzi Dube

5 May 2013

The Government has warned schools wishing to increase their schools fees and levies saying all those that do not follow the necessary procedures will be dealt with accordingly.

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Senator David Coltart said school authorities could not unilaterally increase levies but there was a need for them to engage parents and 20 percent of the parents was mandatory quorum when intending to discuss any increment.

“We have been continuously communicating with all schools and they are fully aware of the procedures. For fees to be approved they should call a meeting with parents where 20 percent should attend and at least 75 percent of the said 20 percent must endorse the proposals.

“After this the school authorities are then mandated to communicate with the permanent secretary who will then approve the increment if the reasons stated are deemed satisfactory. But the school must prove beyond reasonable doubt that they adhere to all the set measures for us to approve,” said Minister Coltart.

He said it was an offense for school heads to hike school fees and levies without consulting parents, saying parents could approach the provincial or district education offices if their representative schools did this.

Meanwhile, Minister Coltart has reiterated that school authorities could turn away children for non-payment of tuition fees but said it was still illegal for them to be turned away because of levies.

He said parents must note that schools needed the school fees for their day-to-day functioning thus the need for authorities to use whatever means possible to have students chased away for non-payment of these fees.

“People must differentiate between schools fees and levies, fees are pegged by Government and they range between $5 and $15 dollars, these are the charges which schools have the right to chase away students for, besides these figures are just too minimal.”

“It is really unfair to expect school authorities not to chase away students for this minimal figure, the problem is that people tend not to differentiate between school fees and levies,” said the minister.

He said that is was unfortunate that some school authorities took advantage of this directive to chase away pupils for levies and other incentives.

“Levies and incentives are the only charges where schools can’t excuse students from attending lessons, however we have a situation where some authorities take advantage of this directive to chase away the school children for both levies and fees,” said Minister Coltart.

In another development, the minister said he was satisfied with the progress made in the education sector but said there were problems that needed to be taken care of in order for the sector to be effectively revived.

“I am pleased with the fact that the sector has stabilised considering where we are coming from but I must emphasise that we are still in a state of crisis and honestly we are still a long way off to say the sector has been effectively revived,” he said.

The Herald

By Herald Reporter

3 May 2013

SOME schools are demanding that parents pay full fees and levies before their children are allowed to register for the November Ordinary and Advanced Level public examinations this year.

The deadline for registration is today. This comes as Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart yesterday warned schools against barring pupils from registering saying everyone who had gone through the school curriculum had a right to register as a candidate. Minister Coltart said Government would punish any school authorities who deny children the right to register.

“Every child who has gone through the required stages should be allowed to sit for the examinations,” he said.

“Reports that some are being turned away are unacceptable because there is no law in the ministry which bars pupils from paying examination fees simply because they have not paid their tuition fees.

This is a critical stage in the life of the pupil and no prospective pupil should be denied the right to register.”
He said parents in school fees arrears should work out payment plans with school authorities.

The Herald

By David Coltart

1 May 2013

I have a great deal of respect for Firdose Moonda, ESPNCricinfo’s South Africa correspondent — she knows her cricket well and has an obvious passion for the game. However, I have to take issue with one aspect of her article this evening written in the aftermath of the Zimbabwe/Bangladesh test series.

In it she says that:

“Zimbabwe’s squaring of a series does not even put them on the Test rankings. They will need to play a minimum of eight matches in a particular period to qualify. If all their tours go as planned, they will play eight Tests this year and probably take up a position below Bangladesh. That is probably where they deserve to sit.”

Aside from the fact that Zimbabwe at present has 266 ICC test ranking points to Bangladesh’s 134 (and is only not on the rankings because we have not played the requisite matches) I disagree that Zimbabwe “deserves to sit” below Bangladesh.

On the contrary I think that Zimbabwean cricketers and cricket supporters deserve much better for a variety of reasons. Firstly, Zimbabwe is in fact potentially much stronger than this in terms of players which are eligible to play and Zimbabwean coaches.

The addition of Tatenda Taibu, Sean Ervine, Craig Ervine and Gary Ballance to the squad would strengthen it massively.

This may seem pie in the sky but I use the word “eligible” specifically – all are qualified to play for Zimbabwe.
In other words in different circumstances, in different conditions they would all play for Zimbabwe.

I am not blind to the fact that Taibu has “retired” and Ballance is hoping to play for England but I have no doubt that all would still play for Zimbabwe if the right conditions were created.

Likewise, we have such a wealth of cricketing coaching talent in the likes of Andy Flower, Davy Houghton, Duncan Fletcher and Paul Strang who are coaching leading teams elsewhere but who also love Zimbabwe with a passion and want to contribute to the game at home.

All who love the game of cricket in Zimbabwe do not deserve the climate which has made these players and coaches look elsewhere.

I have no doubt that if this wealth of talent and experience was fused with the superb budding young talents of the likes of Richmond Mutumbami Zimbabwe would become a strong cricketing nation — no longer a so called minnow.

That is our rightful place in world cricket.

Secondly, even from players who are eligible and available this was not the strongest team we can field.

Tino Mawoyo was sorely missed and the selection of a still injured Regis Chakabva over Sean Williams weakened our batting.

Williams has the highest first class average by some margin of ALL the current Zimbabwean players (43,1 – see the player averages on the cricinfo site), had a superb 2012/13 season for the Tuskers with an average of over 62 and was one of the few players who did reasonably well batting in the West Indies in his maiden Test match.
Indeed, it simply boggles the mind that he has only played one Test for Zimbabwe.

The failure to give our best batsman in the West Indies, Craig Ervine, a central contract forced him to choose club cricket in Ireland which pays considerably more than he would have got in Zimbabwe, and seriously weakened the batting line-up.

David Coltart is the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.