Education, Sport and Culture Minister David Coltart has urged Zimbabweans not to focus too much on quantity and instead look at the quality of the athletes who will represent the country at the Olympic Games in London this month.

SW Radio Africa reports that Coltart was reacting to weekend reports that Zimbabwe will be fielding the “smallest and probably weakest sporting team to ever compete” in the games. Only seven athletes including swimmer Kirsty Coventry have qualified.

Joining Coventry will be marathon runners Cuthbert Nyasango, Wirimayi Zhuwawo, triathlete Chris Felgate, rowers Jamie Frazer McKenzie and Micheen Thornycroft. Although sprinter and strong medal hopeful Ngoni Makusha qualified, an unfortunate injury ruled him out of the games.

As Coltart explained the reason for this small number, “is mainly dictated to us by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As you know they set qualifying times and athletes have to meet those times, otherwise they are not accepted to the Olympics. So unfortunately we have these seven or so,” who have qualified.

“Its not necessarily (quantity) the nation should be looking at. Think back to the 2008 Olympics, Zimbabwe also had a very small team but we came away with way more medals than South Africa who went with a team of over 200 and so we shouldn’t really be looking at the quantity, we need to look at quality,” he said.

Asked whether government was responsible for the deterioration in sporting standards Coltart said:

“There is no doubt that education and sport in the last two decades has been under-funded and tied into that is the collapse of the economy in the last 10 to 12 years. That’s has meant some of our best athletes have left the country or their talent has not been identified and nurtured.”

He said because of this crisis Zimbabwe did not have as many athletes going through its system and excelling, as was the case in the past.

Zimbabwe’s indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere has backed down on a bid to take over private schools.

Zimbabweans should stop basking in the shadow of a long gone education glory, Education minister David Coltart has said.

Daily News reports that Coltart said government should quit priding Zimbabwe as an education haven because resource constraints have seriously compromised the sector.

“The foundation of our education sector is still strong. We have good basic curriculum, highly qualified teachers, a deep-rooted passion for education exhibited by parents, guardians and the children themselves.

“There is no doubt it ends at the foundation, the rest of the structure is in a crisis, the teachers’ morale is now gone and seriously education is underfunded.

“There is a danger that we assume that because education was strong in the past then it will continue like that. We will be wrong. That is not the case anymore,” Coltart told the Daily News on Sunday.

Zimbabwe’s much touted literacy rate of more than 90 percent has been disputed as outdated since the figures are based on data collected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the government more than a decade ago.

Coltart said though government was making “notable” moves towards addressing the welfare of teachers, there were other educational needs that seriously require redress.

“I commend the government for constantly engaging teachers representatives to address remuneration issues but outstanding none salary issues are still a problem. Every day I receive messages from parents complaining over lack of proper infrastructure.

“There are many schools without desks, stationery, classrooms and the children in resettled areas are literally learning in tobacco barns. Unless we address those challenges we will not go far, even the best teacher will struggle to teach inadequately clothed and hungry children in a barn,” said Coltart.

Coltart emphasised the need for government to prioritise education and castigated the extensive travel expenditure by leaders at the expense of more deserving areas.

“Ironically, the amounts we are spending on addressing educational needs are still very tiny compared to what we are spending on defence, security and foreign travel.

“The glory we have been enjoying now is a result of government’s investment in the first 10 years of independence,” he said.

According to the 2012 national budget, Education got $14,8 million to cater for the country’s three million children while President Robert Mugabe’s office and Cabinet received $70 million, defence $66 million and Home Affairs $30 million.

Daily News

By Wendy Muperi

13 July 2012

Britain on Wednesday gave Zimbabwe a $19 million four-year grant to provide bursaries for marginalised secondary school female students.

Officially launching the programme in Guruve, Education minister David Coltart described the British government as an “all-weather friend”.

“On behalf of government I am most grateful for the gesture made by the British to the education sector,” Coltart said.

“Let me share with you that DFID this year committed $73 million to supporting education efforts in Zimbabwe.”

The grant released through the Department for International Development (DFID), and administered by the Campaign for Female Education (Camfed), will benefit at least 24 000 girls from 28 rural districts with comprehensive bursaries between 2012 and 2016.

Coltart said government should prioritise the empowerment of girls through education for national development.

“Though the relations between our two governments have not been good, the British people have continued to support us. Through the cooperation, we have managed to restore stability in the sector. The new bursaries we are launching today are a great and timely complement to allow girls who would otherwise not benefit from such valuable and commendable investments,” he said.

“The education of a girl child is one of the most important task and prerequisite of any government for sustainable economic growth and development. A government that neglects the education of a girl child condemns itself to a bleak future,” said Coltart.

“To put it in context, the Zimbabwean government this year has allocated only some $5 million dollars on non-salary expenditure,” he said.

Dave Fish, head of DFID in Zimbabwe, said the programme will change lives of the girl child.

“This programme will transform lives and communities. It helps the most vulnerable girls with the basics — school and exam fees, uniform and stationery.

“Things that a young lady needs to stay in school and do well,” said Fish.

Camfed director Angeline Murimirwa said there was need for a multi-sectoral approach for the country to achieve satisfactory progress in education.

Since February this year, the UK government has committed over $350 million to help ensure the poorest people in Zimbabwe have access to basic services such as education, health, water and sanitation.

AfricanBrains

By Nicholas Pescod

13 July 2012

It was announced on Wednesday that the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) would make a £12,000,000 investment to girls’ education in Zimbabwe. The investment will now allow over 23,500 girls from some of the poorest families in the country to attend and graduate secondary school.

The £12 million investment will enable Camfed, an organization dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa through the use of education, to provide more bursaries to secondary school students than previously possible.

According to a press release issued by Camfed, Minister of Education, Sport, Arts & Culture, Senator, David Coltart spoke in front of a crowd yesterday at Chifamba High School in Gurvue District yesterday. He said that it’s universally understood that educating girls is one of the most important steps in ensuring sustainable development.

“The Government of Zimbabwe has limited resources and because of this our education programmes to ensure equality and excellence in education are restricted,” Coltart said. “It is in this context that the work Camfed does is so critical and we are delighted that DFID has provided the generous support it has to guarantee that the good work Camfed has done in the past will continue.”

Executive Director and former Camfed bursary recipient, Angeline Murimirwa said the investment from DFID would allow Camfed and girls to realize their potential.

“It allows us to utilize the huge capacity and commitment existent in the national, district and community partners with whom we work,” she said. “It gives us the chance to transform the opportunities for a generation of girls today… and not ask them to wait for another year, decade or century.”

According to the Minister’s website, this isn’t the first time the DFID has invested in Zimbabwe. The DFID also donated roughly £24 million to the second phase of an education transition fund. The fund provides reading material, notebooks and other supplies to schools.

Since Camfed began in 1993, the organization has helped fortify better education for roughly 1.5 million children in five nations.

The Chronicle

13 July 2012

MORE than 15 000 people yesterday thronged Manqe area in Tsholotsho District to witness the official commissioning of the first rural school with ultra-modern computers in the country’s southern region.

The school, Landa J Nkomo High, is the brainchild of Vice-President Landa John Nkomo who was born and educated in the Manqe area.

There was pomp and fanfare in a hectic six hours in which villagers rubbed shoulders with Cabinet Ministers, Members of the House of Assembly, Senators, traditional leaders, diplomats and service chiefs in celebrating the phenomenal occasion.

The day will go down in the annals of history as the first concrete step taken to narrow the gap of ICT knowledge between urban and rural schools in the region.

By 7am thousands of people had swamped the venue with about 30 tents each with a holding capacity of 300 people not enough to shelter them.

The thousands of chairs that had been availed for the occasion were not sufficient and more than half of the crowd had to stand or sit on the dusty ground throughout the proceedings.

Vibrant entertainment in the form of song, dance and poetry kept the large gathering spellbound.
When President Mugabe arrived at around 10.45am there was thunderous applause as people welcomed their leader.

President Mugabe then toured the school facilities, the modern administration block, on-going construction work which includes a modern science laboratory and a home economics block and the completed state of the art ICT Centre.

A local poet Obert Dube warmed up the appreciative crowd with a praise poem for VP Nkomo.
He exalted the VP for his role in the development of Tsholotsho and going back to his roots to empower communities where he grew up.

Dube left the crowd, particularly school children with a witty anecdote in which he said “If you do not work at school you will have to work hard at work.”

Famous Gwanda based praise poet Lerato Nqindi Ndlovu also took to the stage with his unorthodox brand of poetry that stunned the crowd into silence and then sustained applause.

The San community also displayed their scintillating traditional dances that amused the crowd and provided a glimpse into their sheltered way of life.

Also providing entertainment were popular musicians Jeys Marabini and Chase Skuza.

A total of 19 cattle were slaughtered for the occasion and the crowd had enough to eat.

There was brisk business for vendors who made a killing from the capacity crowd with ice cream  vendors running out of their wares by 2pm.

Statutory bodies that include EMA and Parks also took the opportunity to exhibit and educate villagers.

Dignitaries included Vice-President Joice Mujuru, Deputy Prime Thokozani Khupe and Ministers, Francis Nhema, Obert Mpofu, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Sekai Holland, Kembo Mohadi, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, Nelson Chamisa, David Coltart and former Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr Timothy Stamps.

Deputy Ministers present included Andrew Langa and Seiso Moyo.

Governors Thokozile Mathuthu, Angeline Masuku and Cain Mathema, Martin Dinha were also present as well as the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General Constantine Chiwenga,

Zimbabwe National Army commander Lieutenant-General Philip Valerio Sibanda, Deputy commander of Zimbabwe Prisons Services Rhodes Moyo, Airforce Vice-Marshal Elson Moyo and commander of One Brigade, Brigadier-General Thomas Moyo.

There was also the Zanu-PF National Chairman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, Member of the House of Assembly for Tsholotsho North Professor Jonathan Moyo, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to South Phelekezela Mphoko, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda and his deputy, Ray Ndlukula, Politburo members, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube, Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, acting Bulawayo chairman Cde Killian Sibanda and youth leader Cde Butho Gatsi as well as Tsholotsho Senator Believe Gaule.

As people left for their destinations on foot, scotch-carts, bicycles, lorries, buses, motorists driving to Bulawayo had a torrid time as they drove bumper to bumper because of the traffic volume from Manqe Village to Tsholotsho Centre.

A villager who identified herself as Gogo MaSibanda (80) summed up the occasion with these words: “I have never seen such a huge gathering. John Nkomo has made us proud,” she said.

The Chronicle

By Midlands Correspondent

12 July 2012

TEACHERS’ unions have strongly condemned Minister David Coltart’s pronouncement that his ministry would prosecute teachers who conduct private lessons for a fee.

In interviews, representatives of different teachers’ unions said the Government should first address the teachers’ plight before it descends on teachers conducting commercial private lessons.

They said the Government should work on scrapping the teachers’ incentives by paying the educators a “reasonable” amount as monthly salaries before taking the decision to ban paid-for private lessons.

Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) chief executive officer Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said prosecuting teachers for conducting private lessons at a fee could have “some boomerang effects” as many educators could end up quitting the civil service to join private colleges.

“The issue of teachers conducting private lessons and that of banning unregistered private colleges cannot be solved through legal routes as long as the teachers are getting meagre salaries as is the situation at the moment. Firstly, the Government should understand that the teachers are not conducting these private lessons out of will but are trying to make ends meet,” said Mr Ndlovu.

Mr Ndlovu said the Government could have shot itself in the foot when it “legalised” incentives as the issue of paying incentives was closely linked with that of private lessons.

He said although incentives were divisive as they mainly catered for the urban teacher, scrapping the teacher incentives without addressing the issue of salaries was suicidal.

“Minister (David) Coltart cannot talk of prosecuting teachers who conduct commercial private lessons now unless if he is suffering from visionary illness. He together with officials in the Ministry of Education offices made a big mistake when they legalised the issue of teachers’ incentives through circular Number Five of 2009. After they legalised incentives, they cannot talk of stopping private lessons, just like that,” he said.

Mr Ndlovu said teachers were driven by desperation in their conducting private lessons, not greediness.

“Nowadays teachers cannot afford to go on holidays. Instead of taking their families on holiday, teachers have been turned into nannies, taking care of other people’s children in the form of private lessons. It’s, however, a shame that Government is not looking into the fundamentals that would address the teachers’ poverty for good and is busy focusing on what we believe are trivial issues,” he said.

Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, (PTUZ) secretary-general Mr Raymond Majongwe said prosecuting teachers for conducting private lessons would be like prosecuting a Government medical doctor for running a private surgery.

“What the Government is proposing is not feasible. Minister Coltart should understand that teachers as professionals have the right to do business in line with their profession outside Government duties. Prosecuting teachers for conducting private lessons would be tantamount to prosecuting a Government-attached doctor for running a private surgery. We will take the Government head-on in that regard,” he said.

Mr Majongwe reiterated the need for the Government to urgently look into the teachers’ welfare.

“It is shocking that the same senior Government officials who are denouncing teachers for conducting commercial private lessons are the ones running some of the private colleges in the country, which are sprouting in every city and town while tapping the human resource from the same underpaid teachers. It’s a shame that we teachers have been relegated to mere citizens who could be tossed around by those with capitalistic minds,” he said.

The Chronicle

12 July 2012

SWIMMING icon Kirsty Coventry will lead a small Zimbabwe team of seven athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games in London later this month.

This is the smallest contingent of athletes that Zimbabwe is sending to the Olympics since the country started taking part in the global sporting showcase in Moscow, Russia, in 1980.

An injury has ruled out track and field’s biggest medal hopeful Ngonidzashe Makusha while others failed to meet the qualifying standards for this year’s Olympic Games which are set to run from 27 July to 12 August in London.

The Zimbabwe Olympic Committee last night named the seven athletes that will do duty for the nation at the 30th Olympic Games in London.

Two-time Olympic Games women’s 200m backstroke champion Coventry will lead the cast that also includes three marathon runners Wirimai Juwawo, Cuthbert Nyasango and Sharon Tavengwa, triathlete Chris Felgate and rowers Jamie Fraser-McKenzie and Micheen Thornycroft.

Although Zimbabwe will be sending a small team of seven athletes to the London Games, ZOC president Admire Masenda said yesterday it was important to note that the country has consistently managed to qualify athletes to the Games since 1980, with a total of 159 Olympians having participated from Moscow (in 1980) to Beijing (in 2008) over eight Summer Olympic Games.

“Qualification has become increasingly harder, standards are higher and competition is stiffer.

“We have put in place a Long Term Winning Strategy which is aimed at developing athletes from grassroots through to high performance level.

“Implementation of this strategy will see consistent and systematic positive results by 2020 at world class competitions,” Masenda said.

He also said that there was need to introduce a national sporting strategy that focuses on identifying and nurturing talent.

The ZOC boss also said that corporate support and resource injection was necessary to develop talent.

ZOC were also looking at introducing the best practice of sport development which includes scientific research and practice in talent identification and nurturing athletes.

The local Olympic body, Masenda said, would also like to  increase competition opportunities for local athletes to raise the level and standard of play and using regional competitions to sharpen the skills.

“We also believe that with a national sports policy in place, Zimbabwe sport will develop and reach greater heights.

“Zimbabwe’s participation at these Games is not just about winning a medal: participation and exposure to high performance will create the necessary platform for development.

“We recognise and acknowledge athletes that have qualified and will reward those that reach finals or (win) medals.

“I would like to congratulate the athletes for having qualified to go to these Games as this is a huge step.

“I would like to take this time to acknowledge the work that was put in by the officials as well,” Masenda said.

Meanwhile, some members of Team Zimbabwe are scheduled to leave for London on Sunday and the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, is expected to be the head of delegation.

Paul Damasane, the principal director of Sport, Arts, and Culture, and Sports Commission’s chairman Joseph James will also be part of Team Zimbabwe’s delegation that will be travelling to London for the 2012 Olympics.

Zimbabwe has in the history of the Olympics garnered eight medals that include three golds.

The country’s first gold medal was won by the women’s hockey team at the Moscow Olympics in 1980 and swimming sensation Coventry won gold in the women’s 200 metre backstroke in 2004 at Athens, Greece, and at the 2008 Beijing Games in China.

Coventry took the 2004 Athens Olympics by storm as she swept to victory in the women’s 200 metre backstroke event to win the country’s first gold medal in swimming.

She also picked up a silver and bronze medal in the women’s 100 metre backstroke and 200 metre individual medley events at the same Games in Athens.

In 2008 in Beijing, China, Coventry produced the same magic and grabbed four medals — one gold and three silvers which took her tally to seven medals at the Olympics thereby becoming the most decorated athlete among those who qualified for the London 2012 Games.

The swimming queen also set a world record in her 100 metre backstroke semi-final which was not broken in the final and won her 200 metre backstroke in another world record.

Recently, Coventry fired the early warning shots on her return to competitive action since her injury in late April by winning two gold medals at the 2012 Paris Open Swimming Championships in France.

The 28-year-old capped her return in the 200m individual medley posting a time of 2.13.60 for the victory but was however slower than her silver medal winning time of 2.08.59 at the 2008 Olympics in China.

Coventry will, however, be going to the Olympics encouraged by the medals that she won in Paris last weekend and no doubt she remains the brightest medal prospect at the 2012 London Olympics.

Zimbabwe’s chances of grabbing more medals at the London Games suffered a major setback when track and field star athlete Makusha was injured earlier this year while training for the Games at his base in Florida, United States, earlier this year.

Makusha raptured his Achilles tendon during a training session at his Florida base and underwent surgery at Tallahasse which effectively ruled him out of the London Games. Makusha’s absence at this year’s London Olympics means Zimbabwe will not be represented in the track and field events for the first time in the history of the Olympics after several sprinters failed to make the grade for the world’s biggest sporting showcase.

Zimbabwe first participated at the Olympic Games soon after the attainment of Independence in 1980, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then.

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.

United States-based Zimbabwean teenage golf sensation Sean Crocker is lifting the country’s flag high at the Junior World Golf Championships which got underway at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego on Tuesday.

The talented 15-year-old, who is based in Westlake Village, California, had a decent opening round after carding a two-over-par 74 to finish in a tie for 16th place.

He was six shots behind the 18-hole leader Beau Hossler, who was on four-under-par 68 with 54 holes to go.

Crocker looked well on course to sign for a good score with three birdies and a single bogey on the front nine before two more bogeys on the 10th and the 12th.

A further double bogey on the 15th pegged him back from even par to two-over-par which he settled for after saving par in his final three holes.

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture minister David Coltart, a fan of the budding golfer immediately used his Twitter account to congratulate and wish Crocker good luck.

“Sean Crocker lying 16th after first day of World Junior Golf Championships with a two-over 74. Keep your head down lad, Zimbabwe is for you,” he said.

Crocker will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of his mentor and fellow countryman, the legendary Nick Price.

In 1974, Price, then only 17 years of age, won the Optimist Junior World Golf Championships, which ironically was also held at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.

Price, who is now competing on the over-50s Champions Tour, was full of praise for young Crocker during an interview with NewsDay from his base in the US early this year.

Crocker has been dominating junior tournaments in the US since 2009 where some of his accolades include being the Soule Park Open, the Camarillo Open, the Thousand Oaks and the Taylor Made Ventura County junior titles winner.

This year he moved from the Ventura County Junior Golf Association to the more competitive PGA Southern California Junior Tour.