Herald

23 September 2011

THE introduction of incentives for teachers was a “serious miscalculation” by Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, David Coltart, teachers’ unions have said.

Unions officials yesterday said the incentives were not a Public Service Commission policy, but came as a result of Minister Coltart’s “insistence”.

This comes as teachers in some parts of the country are striking against school authorities’ decision to slash incentives paid by parents.

The unions were against the payment of the incentives from the start, arguing that the long term solution was to increase salaries and improve conditions of service.

In Harare, teachers at Rugare Primary School went on strike on Wednesday after authorities slashed the incentives by US$30.

Teachers at Prince Edward High School also downed tools last Friday protesting against, among other things, a decision to reduce their incentives from US$300 to about US$50.

Senior officials in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture said Minister Coltart, who had been promised funding by donors, was now bearing the fruits of his “flawed policy”.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association of Zimbabwe chief executive, Mr Sifiso Ndlovu, said Minister Coltart’s policy was “the worst” since independence.

He said the policy was “poorly crafted” in terms of sustainability.

“It’s the Minister who came up with his own policy not the employer (PSC),” he said.

“But this worst policy to ever exist in our country has caused disorder in the education sector.

“It was a divisional tactic, whereby they knew teachers would never speak with one voice on the issue of salaries, but it is now backfiring on him.

“In his process of arresting labour discontentment, the minister has shot himself in the foot.

“He has shifted the employment responsibility to parents, a situation which has never happened in this country.”

Mr Ndlovu said the problem would be solved if Government standardised condition of service for workers.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary general, Mr Raymond Majongwe, said Minister Coltart’s miscalculation was “plunging” the education sector into crisis.

“This was a lack of a political tact by him (Minister Coltart) and the chickens have come to roost as a result of flawed planning,” he said.

“We told him from the beginning that it would be a disaster.

“Even when Zanu-PF was struggling economically, it did not come up with such disastrous policies.”

Mr Majongwe said Minister Coltart should call for an all stakeholders meeting as schools were now “war zones” because of the issue of incentives.

Teachers Union of Zimbabwe chief executive, Mr Manuel Nyawo, said Minister Coltart had brought “mayhem” to the education sector.

“This policy is problematic because it does not apply to all teachers,” he said.

“It is now difficult to stop the incentives and the minister, being the master planner, should be able to deal with that.

“But as far as we are concerned there, is no exit strategy for the minister.”

Senior officials in Minister Coltart’s office said the donor funding he had been promised failed to materialise.

“He thought it would be for a short time since he, together with his party, had been promised a lot of cash, but nothing came forward,” said one official.

“Now, he is failing to find solutions to problems he created.”

Efforts to get a comment from Minister Coltart were fruitless as he was away in Namibia.

But he is on record recently defending the payment of incentives, saying scrapping them would cause chaos.

He said the incentives should be removed after teachers’ salaries were improved.

Government increased salaries and allowances for its workers in July this year, resulting in teachers earning an average of US$300.

But it has been difficult for Minister Coltart to effect the scrapping of the incentives after the salary increment.

Instead, disputes between teachers and school authorities have erupted at most schools in Harare and Bulawayo once a notice is circulated that the incentives would be slashed.

VOA

 22 September 2011

By Violet Gonda

Education Minister David Coltart had encouraged parents to make incentive payments to teachers at a time when the system was still recovering from a deep crisis during the tumultuous 2008 election year.

“I am not going to support a teacher who finds himself fighting the parent because if he fights the parent that means he is no longer fighting the real employer (government) to get better salaries.”

Many Zimbabwean teachers and parents of students are at odds over the reduction of supplementary payments or incentives by the School Development Association, which said it reduced the payments following an increase in state teacher salaries.

Education Minister David Coltart had encouraged parents to make incentive payments to teachers at a time when the system was still recovering from a deep crisis.

The state-run Herald newspaper said teachers at Prince Edward High School walked out this week to protest the reduction of incentives from US$300 to about US$50. Sources said teachers at  Kuwadzana 6 Primary School saw theirs cut to $150 from $200.

Surprisingly, one of the country’s main teachers unions opposes the incentive system.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association Chief Executive Sifiso Ndlovu told VOA reporter Violet Gonda that incentives are divisive. He said teachers are misdirecting their anger.

He said: “In as far as it concerns the development of education it is a policy that you cannot sustain for a long time and is likely to cause this confusion.”

“I am not going to support a teacher who finds himself fighting the parent because if he fights the parent that means he is no longer fighting the real employer (the government) to get better salaries,” Ndlovu said.

Parent Kurauone Chihwayi said he and others were happy to pay the incentives to keep teachers in classrooms and motivate them – but said the program is unsustainable.

He said some teachers are now demanding additional fees on top of the incentives.

Others charged that the incentive system has diverted the attention of teachers so that they give short shrift to pupils regular classes and allocate more time to tutoring.

Financial Gazette

Thursday,22 September 2011 

By Clemence Manyukwe, Political Editor

JUSTICE and Legal Affairs Minister, Patrick Chinamasa, is allegedly critical of the Attorney General (AG)’s Office which he considers as incompetent.

Chinamasa, who was once the country’s AG before he was appointed into cabinet, also believes that it is wrong for the AG, Johannes Tomana, to align himself with ZANU-PF, according to the latest leaked United States cables.

The cable details a meeting between a US official and former deputy justice minister, Jessie Majome, of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T).

Majome allegedly described Chinamasa as “frank and open” as well as a proponent of professionalism.

A commentary by the US officials added that during his time as AG, Chinamasa was regarded as a technically competent bureaucrat.

“She (Majome) also told us that Chinamasa held Tomana in low regard because of the clumsy manner and legal incompetence his office often demonstrated,” reads part of the cables.

“Similarly, Attorney General Tomana has openly told her that she is subordinate to him within the ministry because he sits in Cabinet and she does not. Tomana, according to Majome, is arrogant, has a Mercedes and a driver, travels in a two car convoy, and moves on foot with a four-person security detail.”

Majome is alleged to have indicated that at meetings, ministry officials circumvent her by, for example, failing to copy her correspondence within the ministry or notify her of any briefings.

The MDC-T official is said to have cited a press conference where the ministry’s permanent secretary, David Mangota and prisons commissioner, Paradzai Zimondi, announced a general amnesty to cover a thousand prisoners, a development she only read in the newspapers.

Majome is alleged to have added that the prisons system has become militarised, with retiring soldiers assuming jobs intended to be filled by the civilian prison service.

“This has also occurred in the AG’s office where soldiers have replaced technicians and legal aides,” Majome is alleged to have said.

In its commentary, the US embassy said: “Majome’s experience highlights the lack of cooperation occurring at the ministerial level in what purports to be an inclusive government.

“Even in instances where the ministry is led by an MDC minister, such as David Coltart’s Ministry of Education, there is often a struggle between the minister and his Mugabe-appointed permanent secretary.”

The embassy added that the cases present a tremendous hurdle in implementing policy changes that are opposed by ZANU-PF loyalists.

The balance of power within ministries was said to be in favour of ZANU-PF.

Zimbabwean

By Brenna Matendere Munyati

21 September 2011

Technical subjects should be prioritised above subjects such as history because they are more likely to equip students to contribute to the economy, said Deputy Higher Education Minister Senator Lutho Addington Tapela.

Speaking at the graduation of over 600 students from Gweru Polytechnic college over the weekend, Sen Tapela said pupils in the country’s secondary schools should be equipped with skills to earn a living after their studies.

“If you teach children bricklaying, in a short while they can earn a living and contribute to the economy. But with history what do you do?” he asked.

His words come at a time when the Zanu (PF) side of the coalition government has been pushing for history to be made compulsory in schools. The party has also proposed to have the dreaded war veterans teach the subject in secondary schools.

Analysts have labelled the call brainwashing. Education Minister Senator David Coltart condemned the development in parliament saying it violated Government policy.

Starting from next year, Sen Tapela announced that Gweru Polytechnic College would be pouring teachers of technical subjects into secondary schools across the country.

“We want to see technical subjects being made more available to students. It’s good for their survival after school. It reduces poverty and pulls down the unemployment rates,” he said.

Newsday

Editorial Comment 

19 September 2011

Reports that excommunicated Anglican church leader Nolbert Kunonga last week evicted headmasters, teachers and priests for allegedly aligning themselves with the diocese of his arch-rival Chad Gandiya made sad reading.

Especially so after the Zanu PF-aligned church leader left thousands of schoolchildren at Daramombe in Chivhu among others without their shepherds.

The spate of evictions in Chivhu, Murehwa and other areas has unfortunately thrown the name of the Church of England into disrepute.

This however has revealed Kunonga’s insatiable appetite for both power and wealth. Since he lost control of the Anglican Church first to Sebastian Bakare and later to Gandiya, Kunonga, who has ingratiated himself with Zanu PF, has committed acts of atrocities on innocent people as if he was above the law.

Kunonga is the excommunicated Bishop of the Province of the Central Africa Harare Diocese, who now runs a rival church, the Anglican Church Province of Zimbabwe.

Whether he is fighting a good cause or not, it is not for anyone to say, but the public will always ask themselves why Kunonga’s actions have left thousands of disadvantaged children out in the open at the mercy of the weather. In many cases innocent children have found themselves in the crossfire.

Over 100 orphans at Shearly Cripps Children’s Home in Murehwa were recently left stranded when caregivers, including nuns, were chucked out.

A few days later Kunonga was at it again evicting the priest and headmasters of Daramombe primary and secondary schools in Chivhu, leaving the children without a shepherd.

The eviction of headmasters was ill-advised and ill-timed given that some of the children will soon be sitting for their final examinations.

One could not agree more with Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart who on Friday unequivocally condemned the ejection of headmasters saying it was not in the interest of the schoolchildren. The school authorities could not just be changed like that at this time.

Coltart is right that changing headmasters is detrimental to the students, especially when this happens in the third term with public examinations about to start in the coming weeks.

Kunonga’s actions are despite last Thursday’s High Court decision to defer ruling on the wrangle in which Gandiya’s diocese is seeking a stay of ejectment from church properties.

The ruling is set for September 23.

In that vein, one would question why Kunonga is subverting the law.

He should be made aware that the time of reckoning is just around the corner for anyone flouting the law of the land regardless of how well-connected he might be.

• Congrats to Kirsty Coventry for her 4 gold medal haul at the All Africa Games which has helped take Zimbabwe to 5th on the the medal table #
• I am pleased that my friend John Makumbe has finally announced what we knew all along – that he was partisan which after all is his right #
• TheStar Malawians protest a nation in decline: http://t.co/FaNJHmp via @TorontoStar #
• Nice evening with the entire Pakistan cricket team – they were very complimentary about Zimbabwe Cricketers and look forward to another tour #
• Cracking 30 off 13 from Coventry – hopefully this will make our selectors remember his worth – he's an automatic pick for 50 overs as well #
• Nice to see the "Zimbabwean Beast" scoring for South Africa in Rugby World Cup – seems Australia needed the other Zimbabwean David Pocock #

Newsday 

17 September 2011

By Feluna Nleya

As Nolbert Kunonga’s onslaught in the Anglican Church continues, schoolchildren at Daramombe Mission in Chivhu were on Friday left shepherdless after the Zanu PF-aligned bishop reportedly evicted headmasters, teachers and priests for allegedly aligning themselves with the diocese of his rival, Chad Gandiya.

The evictions come hard on the heels of similar action at a children’s home in Murehwa on Tuesday, where over 100 orphans were reportedly left in a similar predicament after caregivers, who included nuns, were chucked out.

A priest at Daramombe on Friday confirmed the evictions.

“The messenger of court came on Monday and I was evicted then. On Tuesday they came back again and evicted the headmasters of both the primary and secondary schools, and also some teachers including the boarding master.”

“They initially came in April and told us that the school was now under the Diocese of Harare and we should now be in his (Kunonga’s) congregation, but that is not what we wanted hence we were evicted,” the priest said.

The evictions come after the Kunonga faction wrote a circular to Anglican institutions, warning that those who did not play ball and worship under his diocese faced expulsions.

“This circular serves to notify you those teachers and non-teaching staff are to be removed or transferred elsewhere, since they are in disagreement with the ethos of the responsible authority, Diocese of Harare,” the letter read.

“Any head who does not take action concerning the issue will in turn be answerable to the Archbishop of the Diocese of Harare Anglican Church in Zimbabwe,” reads part of the letter.

On Tuesday, Kunonga caused a national stir when he unleashed a messenger of court at Shearly Cripps Children’s Home in Murehwa to evict caregivers looking after orphans.

The crisis has seen the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, clash with his deputy, Lazarus Dokora.

Said Coltart on Friday: “I unequivocally condemn this act . . . It is not in the interest of the schoolchildren that the authorities could just be changed like that at this time. This is detrimental to the students especially when this has to happen in the third term with public examinations about to start in the few coming weeks. I am, however, waiting for a report from the provincial office through the permanent secretary.”

The minister’s position is in sharp contrast to Dokora’s statements early this week, when he opted to fold arms.

“I understand there is a Supreme Court ruling and in the first instance headmasters are recommended by the church.

“They come from the responsible authorities and they look for their own teachers. We can’t intervene in issues of belief,” Dokora told NewsDay.

However, Kunonga’s actions come despite Thursday’s High Court decision to defer ruling on the wrangle in which Bishop Gandiya’s diocese is seeking stay of ejectment from church properties.

The ruling is set for September 23.

Senator David Coltart

Westwood, Harare, 15^th September 2011 

Address by Education Minister David Coltart at the

School for All: 30^th Anniversary of Leonard Cheshire Zimbabwe Trust Launch of an Inclusive Education manual entitled “Breaking Down Barriers to Inclusive Education in Zimbabwe”

Ladies and Gentlemen and Children

The Inclusive Education Teacher’s Handbook being officially launched here today is an important event. We rather like the word ‘inclusive’ – it is the inclusive government which has brought Zimbabwe back from the brink of destruction, so it’s a good concept which must be applied to education. It sets out to facilitate the management of children with and without disabilities in the same classroom environment. I am delighted to hear of the progress made in schools since Vice President Mujuru and I launched the Inclusive Policy last year.

Zimbabwe is well known for its commitment to providing education for all its children. It has been my ministry’s desire for many years to see children with disabilities included in ordinary schools. The launch of the Inclusive Education Teacher’s Handbook today is a milestone development that is a culmination of several dedicated players, with Leonard Cheshire Zimbabwe Trust taking the leading role in coordinating this development process and assisted by officers from my Ministry and those from the Zimbabwe Open University. I wish to commend all those who took an active part in making the dream become true. I am also aware of the work done by the Directorate in the schools psychological services and Special Needs Education Department, some District Education Officers, Headmasters and teachers.  I am also aware of the wonderful contribution made by organisations such as the Dorothy Duncan Centre and King George VI. I also acknowledge support of UNICEF and partners in the Education Transition Fund, which has resulted in the production of Braille books which are now in all schools countrywide.

However, while we do have children with disabilities in some of your schools and have a number of schools with special classes for children with learning disabilities, a number of factors have militated against the full realisation of our ideals.

A major limitation has been inadequate resources. The difficult years of hyperinflation have seen many previously well resourced schools struggling to provide basic educational materials and keep their furniture and equipment in good repair. In addition, our centre in Mount Pleasant is in a very poor state. Equipment is not working. They recently had a meeting with the CEO of a local bank and are hoping that they will rehabilitate it.

Government’s thrust to provide education for everyone required huge resources and Government has had to rely on parents and communities to play a major role in providing many of the resources that their schools and children need.

Resource constraints affected too special units within schools for children with learning disabilities. Some of these units had very little in the way of special teaching aids. In some case parents formed support groups for these classes and purchased some of the equipment they needed.

Schools specifically for children with disabilities, such as those run by the Jairos Jiri Association, King George VI, Zimcare and St Giles, also suffered severe resource restraints in recent years.

We welcome partnerships with non-governmental organisations such as Leonard Cheshire in trying to ensure that all our children are able to enjoy a high quality of education.

When it comes to integrating children with disabilities into schools with a predominantly non-disabled enrolment, the difficulties in achieving this go beyond resources.

Whilst the lack of ramps and toilets designed for pupils with disabilities may be a limiting factor , I am pleased to see that Leonard Cheshire has already made remarkable adaptations in 19 schools since the inception of this programme.

However, another major limitation is the attitude of families, communities, teachers, parents and other children towards children with disabilities. I am pleased that this is an area that the Leonard Cheshire project is tackling too through their disability community awareness and sensation programme.

While we are proud of the fact that most of the schools in which this project began already have children with disabilities enrolled as a result of this programme, it is obviously a matter of concern that there are many more children with disabilities who have not enrolled in school.

This project is already helping the targeted government schools to overcome the challenges they face in catering for disabled as well as able-bodied children. It should also facilitate the eventual enrolment in these schools of other disabled children who are not currently attending school.

My Ministry shares the Leonard Cheshire Zimbabwe Trust’s vision of children with disabilities and able-bodied students eventually learning together in schools throughout the country.

What is most encouraging about this project is its practical approach and the dynamism that has already been displayed in getting this project off the ground.

I very much hope it will be successful. However, we must not underestimate the difficulties.

A major difficulty in Government schools is sure to be the pupil to teacher ratio which is too high in many of our schools, with a single teacher often having to teach 50 children. With that number of children in a class, it becomes difficult for a teacher to give children the individual attention they require. Where a child need extra help the problem is worse still. We therefore urge parents to take an active part in helping alleviate some of the challenges teachers face by participating as classroom assistants.

In schools that have a special unit for children with learning disabilities, some of whom have a degree of physical disability as well, other teachers sometimes resent the lower pupil to teacher ratio that is necessary in these classes.

The trend in many countries is towards integrating children with disabilities in ordinary schools along with the non-disabled. However, often this is at a policy level and there is less keenness for it at the school level.

Organisations such as Leonard Cheshire are needed not only to lobby for the inclusion of disabled children in ordinary schools and the provision of facilities to accommodate them but to educate parents and teachers.

The Government believes that every child should have the right to go to school and to have an education. It would be my wish that my Ministry did more to promote the integration of children with disabilities in ordinary schools. However, you are all aware of the severe financial constraints my Ministry is faced with. In terms of this year’s budget I have less than US$2 per child per month to educate them, an impossible task without partners.

We welcome this initiative, therefore, which has been clearly well thought out, providing as it does for the targeting of specific schools, training of teachers in inclusive teaching methods, development of manuals to assist teachers, implementing adaptations such as toilets and ramps, educating parents and community members on disability issues and facilitating the provision of mobility aids for children requiring them. Most importantly we need to applaud Leonard Cheshire for facilitating the development of a Teacher’s Handbook on Inclusive Education for use by all schools in Zimbabwe, a development that is quite historic indeed.

This is a critical handbook which I believe will benefit considerably not only those schools that have been targeted but also other schools and communities outside the pilot zone.

This is, of course, a pilot project. The hope is that it will prove so successful that the concept of inclusive education will be extended to all our schools.

I would certainly like to see training in inclusive education being taught at all our teacher training colleges. Every teacher should be able to teach in an inclusive education environment. This also encourages non-government schools to teach inclusively. An example of a school I have had a close interest in is Petra, which works very closely with King George VI in Bulawayo, especially at Upper Sixth level. As I speak I two graduates with severe disabilities have now been enrolled in US universities having obtained scholarships – for them the sky is the limit, and should be for all.

I should like to congratulate Leonard Cheshire Disability and the Leonard Cheshire Zimbabwe Trust for initiating this project. I can assure them that they will continue to have the full cooperation and support of my Ministry.

I would like to thank the Anglo American Group Foundation for sponsoring this project and would encourage other corporate bodies to help organisations like Leonard Cheshire to make a difference to our society.

This is a worthwhile project. I am sure that, working together, my Ministry and Leonard Cheshire will be able to make this project a success and an important step towards more widespread inclusive education.

It is now my honour to finally launch the Inclusive Education Teacher’s Handbook.

Thank you.

Zimbabwean

By Ngoni Chanakira

15 September 2011

Zimbabwe’s Minister of Education, Sport and Culture, Senator David Coltart, will tonight join several diplomats to celebrate Alliance Francaise’s 60th Anniversary.

Coltart, a Senator from the Professor Welshman Ncube-led MDC political party, will be Guest of Honour at the event.

A spokesman for Alliance Francaise said: “Yes I can confirm that Education Minister, Mr David Coltart, will be Guest of Honour at the cocktail function here tonight.

The event will feature Ambassadors, corporate executives, senior journalists, and cultural figures based in Harare.

“This is among the many top events celebrating our 60 years operating in Zimbabwe and our presence to re-assert the strength of friendship between France and Zimbabwe after 60 years of collaboration,” the spokesman said.

Charles Houdart, the AF boss, will host the event.

The spokesman said in an interview that since 1951, AF had been hosting and organising pluri-disciplinary cultural events in Zimbabwe.

“The events include concerts, exhibitions, cinema showings, theatre performances, as well as the annual Francophone Week, usually held in March,” he said.

“We also take part in many local and cultural projects such as the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) and the Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF).

“During the 60 years, the Alliance Francaise of Harare has pursued three main missions according to its values, and we should not be ashamed to say that we have done well”.

The spokesman said Alliance Francaise offers French lessons, increased the awareness of French and Francophone culture, and provided a platform for enhancing the Zimbabwe/France cultural network.

He said during the 60th Anniversary celebrations the AF would host the cocktail party tonight for “invited VIPs only”.

On Friday it will host an international “DJ – Funkalicious”, while top group “Gargar” is expected to entertain guests later during the night.

Gargar is an all female group from Kenya.

The spokesman said the Friday night event would be hosted by the resident Master of Ceremonies (MC), “Comrade Fatso”.

“We are expecting more than 300 people to enjoy the music performed by our artists until dawn and celebrate as it has to be the 60th Anniversary of the Alliance de Harare with us,” the spokesman said in an interview.

The events are being sponsored by Harare’s Courtney Hotel (accommodation for artists), Spar (Zimbabwe) (Private) Limited (cocktail party including food and drinks), and I-Way Africa (Private) Limited, a leading regional internet service provider (Information Communication Technology (ICT) activities).