Speech by Senator David Coltart

Greatness Career Conference

Harare: Celebration Centre 10 February 2011

Ladies and Gentlemen, young men and women,

Thank you, good morning to you all. I don’t know about you but I certainly want to be here this morning. This is not a ‘have to’ meeting for me at all. And I have to say as well that I consider myself incredibly blessed to have been given this opportunity at this time in our nation’s history to have this particular job, and to have the opportunity to be able to influence and help the coming generation. I consider it to be a great privilege. And because of that I am very supportive of this conference designed to explore career opportuntities. I am in fact delighted to be here today. And I want to congratulate Rabison Shumba and his Greatness Trust for organising this event. I think that the organisation of this event shows great vision on the part of Rabison Shumba and the team who support him. Because an event like this is incredibly important for the future of our nation. If this coming generation does not have a clear idea, individually and collectively, about what it needs to do for our nation then our nation is lost because it is true that any nation without a vision is doomed.

It is in my experience that children, the world over, battle with what is arguably one of the most important decisions in their lives – namely when they get to the end of their secondary schooling they battle with this decision of ‘what to do with their lives?’  And it can be incredibly confusing decision making process. There is a certainty that we enjoy in school. In primary school and secondary school we have a definitive path set out for us. We have a lot of assistance from parents and teachers who guide us in the decisions that we have to take and often we don’t have to take any decisions at all because those decisions are just made for us.  But when we get to the end of our secondary school education, we are sometimes confronted with a bewildering array of choices, and there is much confusion as a result. Sometimes we make these critical decisions in our lives based on, for example, romantic notions. I have to tell you friends this morning that although I made a decision to become a lawyer when I was just 14, and I had a very clear understanding that that was what I wanted to do, I didn’t make that decision to become a lawyer with any profound knowledge of what being a lawyer entailed. I made the decision on a romantic notion. My father had 2 friends who played Bridge with him every Friday evening and these 2 men impressed me greatly. Simply because of their character, without knowing anything about what they actually did, I decided I wanted to become a lawyer and that was the basis that formed my decision. Thankfully God took that decision and has used it. But I suspect when we joke about children who want to be firemen and nurses that sadly many children actually make their decisions without any real knowledge about what the career they are embarking on entails. And so that is why conferences like this are so important.

If we move away from the individual to the national collective choices facing  Zimbabwe and if we look at the state of our education sector and the role it plays in this process I think that we can all be proud of the education sector. Although it has been battered in the last 2 decades, what was established in the first decade, post independence, was something our nation could be truly proud of. The tragedy however from a career perspective is that what was built up in the first decade was an education system that was almost exclusively academically orientated. What do I mean by that? It was an education system that focused on academic subjects, such as maths, English and science. But it was exclusive in that focus. So what we found as a nation was that by the late 1980s and 1990s our education system was turning out some 300,000 graduates every year. People who had had a wonderful education – we were turning out that highest percentages per capita  in Africa of Maths and science and English graduates. But tragically our country’s economy only had a capacity to absorb a maximum of  some 30,000 of those 300,000 graduates. In other words our education sector was not preparing the vast majority of our children for what our country had to offer. And to that extent  our education system was deficient. And it was intensely frustrating for the vast majority of children who had worked so hard in primary and secondary school because they found that  when they got the end of their secondary education there were very limited opportunities for them. It was also a shocking waste of national resources. In fact the harsh reality if we consider our education system in Zimbabwe today is that we have developed an education system that has benefited the rest of the world far more that it has benefited Zimbabwe. Because the vast majority of children that have been generated by our magnificent schools, that have been nurtured by our magnificent teachers – and mark my words we have some of the best teachers in the world  in this country – still today –have not remained in Zimbabwe, have not benefited Zimbabwe. They have benefited Wall Street and London and Sydney and Johannesburg and businesses elsewhere in the world, not Zimbabwe. In the last 2 years, and it is almost 2 years to the day since I took over this job, we have been consulting widely in the education sector, with our international partners, with our teachers, with trade unions, with businesses, to understand the nature of problems facing the education ministry and the education sector. In the  last year we made some critical policy decisions to address the problem I have just outlined. I want to discuss two of these policy decisions briefly with you now because they are relevant to this conference – young men and women here today, they are relevant to your future and especially to the future of your younger siblings.

The first is that we realised that we have a lot of work to do regarding our current curriculum. It came as a profound shock to me when I took over as Minister to realise that Zimbabwe’s education curriculum has not been comprehensively reviewed or reformed for over 2 decades. We last comprehensively reviewed  our curriculum in the 1980s. Whilst individual subjects have been changed we haven’t looked at the curriculum holistically for over two decades. And we have now committed ourselves to do that comprehensive review and reform and we have started to put people in place to do that. It is going to take at least 2 years to conduct this exercise. But it is necessary and I on this point want to speak not so much to the young men and women here today but to the teachers, to the business community, to the churches, to every sector of society, to say that we need your assistance as we embark on this exercise. We need to build a curriculum in Zimbabwe which will serve Zimbabwe in future, which will be appropriate to Zimbabwe’s needs in future, a curriculum which is responsive to the needs of Zimbabwe, and important and responsive to the needs and aspirations of our young men and women. And so we are now embarking primarily on a process of consultation. We need your input; we need the input from business, from mining, from agriculture. We need input from the church and leaders such as Pastor Tom, whose words today were profound, and profoundly important for our nation, because our curriculum must look beyond just the technical teaching of Science and Maths and Geography. It needs to look at how we produce the coming generation – including what qualities and standards and aspirations that coming generation believes in. Because as Pastor Tom said today if we do not produce a coming generation that believes in tolerance, in non violence, in respect for fundamental human rights, in respect for all our people, then our nation is doomed. We can produce the finest scientists and mathematicians, but without a soul, without deeply ingrained principle, a nation is doomed. So we need your input, and we need your input young men and women here today. You have experienced our education system in the last 10 years. You know its merits, you know its deficiencies, you know what needs to be changed and we need your input.

The second key policy decision that we have taken is that we need to move away from this focus which concentrates on an academic education. We need to balance our education system. We need to recognise that God has given each person different talents. And whereas some people may be talented in Maths, that is not the only talent. Some people have been given amazing talent by God to use their hands, to create beautiful things. And that is an equal talent to someone who is a great mathematician or orator. Our education system at present does not recognise that. Our education system at present holds up people who are good at Maths and Science and English and geography. But it doesn’t nurture other talents as it should. Our great sports men and women, our great artists, our great carpenters, the people, who perhaps don’t use their mouths, but use their hands. And that is what we have to do to make out education system truly world class. Internationally the country which is recognised objectively as having the best education system in the World is Finland and Finland accords equal status to academic and vocational education. And that is what I aspire to in our nation. We need to ensure, for example, that sport and art should not be seen as mere extracurricular activities. Sport and art should be see as business, as careers for the future. We need to develop our education system to recognise that –  to identify all talent, to nurture it because that is the future of the world. Let me say this young men and women, that Zimbabwe in that regard has a unique advantage, a competitive advantage over so many countries in the world because we have some of the most supremely talented artists;  we have a climate and an attitude in our nation that can develop some of the best sports men and women in the world. And so friends a conference like this is so important because it can play an important role in informing that process of reform that we are embarking upon.

So you may say ‘well that’s the future but that about the present what about us today’. All of you here today are not going to benefit from these future plans, and I want to conclude by speaking to you today regarding matter which are directly relevant to you.

I want to start by asking a fundamental question of each one of you here today – and that is “where are you, in terms of geographical position, where are you going to pursue your career and your life?”

Tragically, so many of our young men and women think that there is no future in Zimbabwe, and think that to pursue a successful career they will have to go elsewhere. It is a fact that in the last 20 years, tens, possibly hundreds, of thousands of our brightest young men and women have left. I understand why that is. I understand that even the most determined people in the last 20 years may have struggled to stay in Zimbabwe and to get appropriate jobs. But I want to speak to you today as a patriot. As someone who deeply loves this magnificent nation that God has given us. For all its troubles, we need to be reminded that Zimbabwe is a country of enormous opportunity. It is a country with wonderful attributes. In fact those attributes are almost un-rivalled anywhere else in the world, in terms of our natural resources and our climate and our soils and our water, but most importantly our people. This country has lacked one ingredient, one vital ingredient since it was founded over 100 years ago. An ingredient that hasn’t just been missing the last 30 years, it’s an ingredient that has been missing for well over 100 years. That ingredient is democracy. When we instil  democracy in our nation, and by democracy I don’t mean something superficial, I mean something that is deeply felt, deeply rooted, that is democracy not just in our parliament, democracy in our homes. When we start to tolerate each other, respect each other irrespective of gender or race or ethnic background, mark my words – this country is going to boom. And I believe that we are now on the brink of that. You never arrive at democracy because it’s a process, a process that takes decades and centuries to evolve. It’s a bit like childbirth  – it’s painful, and even when a child is born it has a life to live, and there can be a lot of pain in that. But we have been through a great trauma in our nation and I believe that we are now on the cusp of the next stage in our nation’s progression and development. And when that happens, when we get to that next stage, mark my words there will be opportunity not just for all of you here today, but for every child in Zimbabwe. If you think that I am overly optimistic I want to challenge you. Let’s say that I am being openly optimistic – that this future is not as rosy as I would have you believe – and if that’s what you’re thinking then I want to challenge you. One of the verses in the Bible that has guided me very importantly is a verse found in 1 Corinthians 7.  Apostle Paul was writing to people in a very difficult situation, and he wrote the following words. “I would rather you remain in the situation God called you in”. That applied 2000 years ago but it has equal application today. In other words, our default as individuals should be to remain in the situation God has placed each one of us in. And as Zimbabweans that default is Zimbabwe. It’s not to say that some of us don’t get called to other nations, but our default should be our nation, come what may. Come trials, come hardship, God has placed us here with particular purpose. And yes we may face trials, but there are other verses that say we are to rejoice in our trials. Why? Because those trials refine us, and if we persevere they make us better people, they make for a better nation. Working through a problem is always better than running away from it. And my experience, friends, young men and women today, is that the most satisfying aspect of any career can be in fact confronting problems and working through them and that applies to us individually and to us all collectively as a nation.

So this is the first point I want to leave you with. As you think about your future career, think of committing yourself to Zimbabwe. Think of a career that is going to be the most appropriate in terms of giving back to your nation.

Secondly, and this follows on from the point I have just made about working through problems rather than running away from them.  I was delighted with that you had to say in this regard Pastor Tom. Tragically many of the decisions that all of us make in choosing a career are dominated by what will result in the most comfort for us as individuals. What job will pay the most; will get the biggest car; the biggest home; the most overseas holidays? Those considerations dominating our decision making process. Indeed our nation has been blighted by what I call the ‘get rich quick’ syndrome. We make our decisions not on what is on the basis of the good of the community, but what selfishly is going to be best for me. And we disregard principle and law -nad the interests of others, and especially the interests of the disadvantaged. And in that regard I want to come to what is in fact my favourite chapter found in Philippians chapter 4. The whole of Philippians chapter 4  is a magnificent piece of writing. But in verse 8 there are the following words: “Fill your minds with those things that are good and deserve praise,  which are true, noble, right, pure and lovely.” I believe that those verses, those principles, need to underpin whatever decision you make regarding the choice of a career. I challenge you to think of a career that will noblely help your nation – that will help your family, your community, not just you.

Finally, if you read on in that same chapter you will see the following words – Paul writes “I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I have learnt to be content whether I am full or hungry.” Now how does this apply to us? That doesn’t mean to say that we should be complacent and be happy with a second rate job or career. On the contrary we need to strive for excellence. But in striving for excellence, in striving for the best possible career, what we need to understand is that the most important thing in the pursuit of any career path is satisfaction and acceptance of our current position. If we seize every opportunity, no matter what the circumstances, difficult or good, and that in that environment we strive for and achieve contentment, then mark my words,  irrespective of the career you chose, you will know happiness and fulfilment and satisfaction.

I wish you well in this conference, in these forthcoming two days. I hope Rabison, that this becomes an annual event that spreads to benefit not just Harare, but schools and cities throughout our nation. Because I have no doubt that if the coming generation understands not just what their career options are, but also holds to these other principles  we have discussed today, the prosperous future of our nation will then be assured.

Thank you.

New Zimbabwe.com

10 February 2011

ARTHUR Mutambara’s membership of the MDC was revoked at an emergency meeting of the party’s national council on Thursday, but the party resolved to let him stay on as Deputy Prime Minister in the unity government, but not on its ticket.

The MDC said it took the position after President Robert Mugabe told the party’s newly-elected leader Welshman Ncube “in no uncertain terms” on Wednesday that he would not swear him in as Deputy Prime Minister.

Now the MDC says it considers Mutambara a Zanu PF member, and would be seeking an amendment to the 2008 power sharing pact, known as the Global Political Agreement, to reflect that.

MDC secretary general Priscilla Misihairabwi, speaking after the party’s national council voted by a two thirds majority to expel Mutambara, said they would be writing to South African President Jacob Zuma – the regionally-appointed mediator in Zimbabwe – to seek the amendment.

Misihairabwi said Ncube met Mugabe a second time this week on Wednesday and the President made it clear he wanted Mutambara to stay.

“President Mugabe said ‘you can tell your national council that mina (me) as Robert Mugabe angifuni (I don’t want)’,” she said.

“Interestingly, he said go and fight and defeat him. When Ncube pointed out that Mutambara was defeated at congress, he said go and fight him in court,” she said.

She said Mutambara was not his own man as it was clear he had been consulting and seeking advice from Mugabe.

“We are now saying given Mugabe’s stance, they [Zanu PF] can have that position that was allocated to us, so that Mutambara becomes their Deputy Prime Minister. We have effectively donated the DPM post and Mutambara to Zanu PF,” she said.

MDC secretary for legal affairs David Coltart said the party took the decision not to fight for the DPM post after the realisation that a buy-in from other GPA principals was needed if they were to remove Mutambara.

“Courts are also used as a delay mechanism to delay political goals,” he said.

Misihairabwi said they would not be seeking to occupy the deputy premiership and would now focus on rebuilding their party and preparing for elections.

“We want to give Arthur the position that he so desperately wants and hopefully we will have less public fights than we are having because we know its driven by him wanting to be Deputy Prime Minister. He said it to me personally.”

The GPA, signed in September 2008, allocated Zanu PF the presidency and two vice presidents; the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC the premiership and a deputy premiership and the Mutambara-led MDC a deputy premiership.

The parties also allocated ministerial portfolios to reflect the March 2008 general election vote share, with Zanu PF getting 15, Tsvangirai’s MDC 13 and the Mutambara MDC three.

But with all the MDC’s three ministers — Ncube, Misihairabwi and David Coltart — at Thursday’s national council meeting, the party says Mutambara will not speak for it in government.

Only on Wednesday, Mutambara had tried to pre-empt his expulsion by purporting to fire Ncube. But it was immediately pointed out that he has no such authority under the party’s constitution.

Mutambara, who led the party since 2006, resisted attempts to move him over and make him Minister for Regional Integration, with Ncube replacing him as Deputy Prime Minister.

The robotics professor claimed that as a signatory to the GPA, his position was guaranteed and he should be allowed to stay on for the life of the unity government.

www.overtimeonline.co.uk

9 February 2011

His eyes betray him.  There is nothing there.  No emotion at all.  Yet the senator talks passion, seemingly oblivious of his all-too familiar bête noir, Robert Mugabe, glaring angrily down at him from the cover of a book.

The book sits awkwardly, as if out of place, alongside the hundreds of others that make the shelves bow from the weight.  It seems fitting that the biography of the man who ordered the senator’s failed assassination attempt four years earlier, is at odds with the thick leather-bound volumes that surround it.  His long bony fingers masterfully coax his well-worn phone into pirouetting on the arm of the mahogany sofa.  Behind him there is a window overlooking a large tree-filled garden that is protected by a concrete wall decorated with razor wire.  The inauspicious rasping of a grey-crested lourie, known for its cry as the go-away bird, cuts straight through the hot, still air.

“In the last six years we have lost so much,” says David Coltart, co-founder of the MDC, senator, and secretary of state for sport in Zimbabwe.  “We have lost talent in the form of Andy Flower and the likes which is sad, but more significantly, the up-and-coming younger players have been deprived of something they will never be able to get back.  The opportunity to be mentored by such experienced senior players.”

A glance at the hierarchy within Zimbabwe Cricket, the governing body of the sport in the country, immediately quells the fallacy that cricket and politics cannot be mixed.  They are inexorably linked in a nation where corruption, brutality and general mismanagement epitomises the power base of a state still run by the despotic Mugabe.  Not only is the tyrant a patron of Zimbabwe Cricket, but the chairman, Peter Chingoka and chief executive, Ozias Bvute, are political heavyweights.  And it is highly improbable that their appointments are coincidental to their party loyalties.  It was Bvute’s misguided hard-nosed policy on ‘racial integration’ that led to the exodus of 15 white players in the rebellion of 2004.

“It can be compared to Manchester United’s plane crash,” continues Mr Coltart.  “A large majority of the team was wiped out in an instant and suddenly there was a very young core of inexperienced players thrown in at the deep end.  The effects are still reverberating within the squad and this was highlighted by the recent series in Bangladesh.  I think you could argue that our players have a much stronger physical presence and greater ability, but mentally, they were just not up to the task and I feel that a lot of mental strength comes from mixing old and new.”

Stuck in Limbo

C.L.R James persuasively illustrated in Beyond a Boundary that the style of cricket played by a team often reflected the mood of the country.  Zimbabwe has been no exception to this notion in recent years.  It has suffered some heavy loses and the metaphorical blood spilt on the pitch draws parallels with the actual bloodshed on the streets. Wins over Sri Lanka and India last year –albeit against a heavily diluted opposition in both instances – have given rise to some optimism.  But crushing defeats at the hands of South Africa and Bangladesh have served as sobering reminders of the squad’s fallibility and they are team stuck in limbo.  Too much class for the associate teams; but struggling to mix it with the bigger guns.

Nonetheless, it seems, on the face of it, that cricket in the politically torn country is at least beginning to find its feet again.  Bvute has started to show signs of promise by saying and doing the right things on the international stage.  He is quick witted, smart and persuasive.  An asset for any organisation should he choose to execute his duties in the honourable fashion.  He has pushed Chingoka to the peripherals which can only be a good thing.  Even Olonga, who absolutely berates him in his autobiography, Blood Sweat and Treason, has softened his stance on Bvute’s character.

“He was probably forced into executing such a radical change in the side,” he said to me recently.  “At least the administration has finally come to its senses and stopped killing the goose that lays the golden egg.”

The appointment of Brian Lara as a batting advisor appears to be nothing short of a miracle and some of the ‘rebel’ cricketers have returned to fulfil various administrative functions.  The recent franchising of the provincial sides has given first-class cricket a much-needed boost, enticing names such as Jason Gillespie and Allan Donald into coaching roles.

Indeed, it is all a little perplexing that such a revival in the fortunes of the sport has occurred at all and it is in stark contrast to the rest of the beleaguered country which continues to languish in abject poverty.  Kingsley Went, former Manicaland and first-class player, explained to me what he believed kick-started the transition.

“The ICC gave Zimbabwe Cricket about $10 million as a non-repayable grant,” he said.  “As far as I’m concerned it’s an investment.  The ICC hope the money will enable the structures to be sufficiently supported and help Zimbabwe regain their test status.  Then they will easily recoup it through television rights.”

Money, money, money

The ICC duly obliged, and as if endorsing his foresight, a few days later, announced that Bangladesh would be visiting Zimbabwe midway through 2011 to play a test match in Harare.  So, as is so often the case, money seems to be doing the talking and lubricating the rusty cogs of progression that have been lying idle for so long.  But there has to be some reservations about the money running out.

“What you have got to understand is that our cricketing infrastructure is minimal and I suspect our overheads are nothing like the ECB’s for example,” explains Mr Coltart.  “There has been press speculation that Gillespie is being paid $20 000 a month and I can assure you, unequivocally, that it is nothing like that much. For him and Donald, these are relatively high-profile coaching jobs and can be useful stepping stones to bigger things.  As for Brian Lara, it is more of a symbolic thing than anything else and don’t believe the rumours that abound about what he is getting paid either.”

It makes sense.  And sure enough, Donald has already moved to greener pastures.  But once immersed in the murky world of politics, even a man of such integrity – a man who helped Olonga and Flower draft their statement to the press during the black-armband protest and a man who has campaigned so tirelessly against brutal human-rights abuses – can be prone to painting over the cracks with a glossy brush.  It is, after all, his job.  And by his own admission, he is not entirely au fait with the financial affairs within Zimbabwe Cricket.  Sadly, there are some indications that the money has already dried up.  A recent conversation with Tino Mawoyo, opening batsman for the Manicaland Mountaineers and named in the squad traveling to the imminent World Cup, revealed the potential extent of the financial woes.

“I am still owed my match fees from a game I played two months ago,” he said.  “As for bonuses, well no-one has seen one for about a year.  Forget about it, even if you score century after century, nothing comes your way.  Manicaland is a club that is in trouble.  But it is not just us.  I don’t want to move, but the lucrative overseas contracts are looking more appealing daily.”

Further bloodshed inevitable

If salaries are not being paid and greater fiscal incentives continue to be offered elsewhere, the inevitable drain of talent will ensure that the national side will never realise its true potential.  The World Cup will inject some short-term cash into the system, but that will not sustain the structures indefinitely.  Along with the rest of the country, the key to long-term success depends rather heavily on the departure of a certain dictator.  Investment would be forthcoming and relationships could be rebuilt.  There will be a small window of opportunity if elections do occur later this year, but gauging the current political mood and historical trends, it seems unlikely that the leadership will be conceded easily and further bloodshed is inevitable.  It makes one wonder why cricket should matter at all given the on-going humanitarian crisis.

“Because it can be a fantastic tool in facilitating racial harmony,” says Mr Coltart.  “It really does bring people of differing backgrounds together and if we can ensure that  cricket is played in every school in the country, then, it can only bode well for the future of this country.”

I thank the senator for his time and see myself out of his house.  Just around the corner, a sparkling new Mercedes Benz with tinted windows and a distinct lack of number plates lurks ominously.  It is almost certainly a government official of sorts and probably not someone I would care to meet.  The accelerator is pushed to the floor and the 20-year old Nissan skips over the potholes leaving the brand-new Mercedes in a cloud of dust to carefully negotiate the treacherous road.

Newsday

By Khanyile Mlotshwa

7 February 2011

A group of Zimbabweans based in the United States have set up a committee to help mobilise funds and partner with the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture in rehabilitating the country’s education system, especially in the area of science subjects.

The group’s spokesperson, Thokozile Mkhwananzi, told NewsDay that their action was prompted by the low standards of science education in the Matabeleland region.

“We are concerned by the lack of students from these regions entering the National University for Science and Technology (Nust) to study science and technology. We would like to help them qualify for admission to any institute of higher learning by providing the needed resources and welcome the idea of the mathematics and science centres. We are prepared to commit resources to this effort,” Mkhwananzi said.

She said the proposed two centres per province is an encouraging start in line with the need for equitable distribution of resources, but given the fact that the Matabeleland and Midlands regions are already lagging behind, there is a need for further resources to be committed in these regions to bring them to par with other regions.

“We have a proposal to secure funding to improve Mathematics and science education in other schools so that they become mathematics and science resource centres in other parts of the region,” she said.

“We would like the Ministry of Education to partner with us by allowing us to have input in identifying schools to be made into resource centres and providing qualified mathematics and science teachers for those schools.”

Several qualified teachers, especially in sciences, left the country for the Diaspora at the height of the economic downturn.

Mkhwananzi said, as a committee, they believed that science and mathematics must be introduced at an early age and strengthened at higher levels.

“All high schools must have well equipped mathematics and science laboratories including computer laboratories. This will enable the students who graduate from the schools to compete on the global marketplace including colleges and universities,” she said.

Mkhwananzi said, as Zimbabweans based in the Diaspora, they had access to a lot of opportunities and felt they could extend some of these to help children back home. “We have untapped talent in our midst to assist in rebuilding the educational system and we hope the minister realises that there is significant overlap in what he plans for education in Zimbabwe and what we advocate for,” she said.

“Every school should have a fully-equipped, functioning library that provides support for all grades in that school. We are committed to assisting with the gathering of relevant textbooks, pens and pencils.”

Mkhwananzi said it is important that more secondary schools be established in Matabeleland to help students who currently have to walk long distances to school.

“We are also ready to establish secondary schools central to a number of primary schools so that children do not have to walk such long distances to school.

The Google earth-mapping of the existing schools in the country initiated by the Education, Arts, Sports and Culture minister David Coltart is a highly commendable exercise and would illuminate this issue even more,” she said.

Sunday Mail

6 February 2011

By Tendayi Regis Mutokonyi

We live in a world of magicians or illusionists, people who create scenarios that fool the mind.

Some of them practise their trade for purposes of entertainment, like the great acts of the American illusionist Harry Houdini, or film director Steven Spielberg.

These acts are essentially facades. In the case of the above-mentioned duo, their acts are regarded as entertainment.

However, not all such acts are performed for purposes of entertainment. Some, if not most, are conducted in deceit for some sort of gain.

Without knowing it, we witness these acts in the form of supernatural miracles, medicinal cures, even investment packages.

In fact, the ongoing global financial crisis owes its birth to such acts. But if really come to think of it, anything can be a facade.

Courtship for marriage could be regarded as such an act. That is why some cultures have done away with it completely and opted for arranged marriages as is the case in some Asian and African customs.

In some Shona dialects, to court someone for purposes of marriage is known as kunyenga while to deceive or con is known as “kunyengedza”. The two share a root. I am not well versed in the dynamic links of culture and language, but I would assume that this group of the Shona people that use this dialect perhaps adopted the custom of arranged marriages.

The best place to find such information is from the ministry of Native Affairs, oh sorry, I mean the Ministry of Education, Arts, Sport and Culture, headed by Senator David Coltart, “Gurukota reDzidzo, Tsika neMagariro Evanhu veZimbabwe”.

I think it is high time we stopped all this smart talk under the guise of progressive thinking and call a spade a spade.

A rainbow is a spectrum of colours produced from the refraction of white light. There is no black in that equation.

So, why do people talk of a “rainbow nation”? I think it is a misplaced metaphor to describe a multi-racial society, especially one that is predominantly considered black.

We conveniently hear of reconciliation when it is the Honourable Prime Minister Ian Smith or Botha facing the noose, while Saddam hangs.

We hear of “blood diamonds” but do not hear of “blood weapons” and never stop to question why. It is not a racial argument, although racism can be part of this equation, not at all, it is about ideology (philosophy), people and, ultimately, wealth.

When a desired ideology is methodically imparted on a population through the various vehicles, like religion and education, it manifests itself in a desired culture, in our case, a culture that is blind to discrepancies, therefore, creating the greatest illusion, where men call other men god.

That is why I am not surprised that Gurukota reDzidzo, Tsika neMagariro Evanhu veZimbabwe riri VaDavid Coltart is said to have ordered school books with a questionable doctrine.

The majority of us do not question, in the same way we do not question why the great Cecil John Rhodes chose to be buried at the Matopos.

The boy almost literally owned this country. He could have been buried at Great Zimbabwe or even in Victoria Falls.

But no, it had to be the Matopos, the most sacred place to the black people, from where our prophets and spirit mediums communicated with God, and we do not question.

It is tantamount to burying Mbuya Nehanda at St Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Some will say I am being paranoid with historical trivialities, or I am a frustrated racist, but when some people have been for decades shipping diamonds out of my country on the pretext of collecting “stones for fish ponds”, while my fellow Africans despised the stones for eroding their hoes, it makes me question.

It is all about doctrine and the custodians of it. John 1:1 says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

What did King Solomon ask for and was given, but with it came much more than he had asked for? It was a doctrine by which to govern; so enticing was his “Word” given unto him by God that according to the third Book of Kings, all peoples of all kings of the earth came to hear his wisdom, and with this wisdom came great wealth.

If you have the Word like King Solomon, you have the world, you are a god, that is why to this day we call people of European descent “mulungu”, Swahili and Nyanja for God, and we are not perplexed.

God created all men equal, with equal opportunity to wisdom (the Word) and wealth, but some men decided to make themselves unequal by prescribing to the “word” of others, thereby making themselves subservient.

That is why the injustices perpetrated against them go unnoticed because they are not the custodians of the word that makes them see the injustice.

In simple terms, there are many laws today that are in direct conflict with our culture (modern and traditional), that hinder and constrain us, but we cannot challenge these laws from our African perspective because we have been socialised to believe that it would be backward or retrogressive to do so.

If we subscribed to our own doctrines we would be masters of our world like King Solomon, smile all the way to the bank, like the Chinese, Indians, Japanese, and other emancipated peoples.

There is one common denominator among all Third World countries, and that is their adherence to foreign doctrines.

The facade of David Coltart at the helm of the ministry that deals with imparting dogma to our children is neo-imperialism at its best; it is an insult. Minister Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga would have been a better facade for that post and the Honorable Senator with his BLL best suited with her ministry.

There is a reason why expatriates do not teach young children in the United Kingdom. It is the preserve of the “Spencers”; it is not a racial argument; it is about the hand that rocks the cradle, it is about heritage.

trmutokonyi@yahoo.com.

Foundationforfarming.org

3 February 2011

By Brian Oldreive

Peter Goosen was gifted in many ways, and did many things. His largest contribution was to the mining industry, but I want to remember today the wonderful way in which he brought God’s grace to farming in Zimbabwe and to many other nations.

Peter served on the national committee of ‘Farmers for Jesus’ for many years, and I remember his passion for evangelising the workers on the farms in our nation. This also involved sharing the Gospel with the farmers themselves, and Peter had a wonderful way of sharing his testimony with clarity and boldness.

Peter also diligently served ‘Farming God’s Way’, which has been the model that the Lord has given us primarily to feed the hungry and to set them free from captivity to poverty by teaching them to feed themselves in a sustainable and godly way. In all this Peter and Nan were totally united in their fervour for the vision and in their love for the poor.

Peter and Nan remained faithful to the quest when the Lord asked us to change the name to Foundations for Farming when God showed us that Godly Farming was to be a foundational platform for the rebuilding of our nation. Peter travelled widely in Zimbabwe and South Africa putting in many Well Watered Gardens. I remember putting in a model with Peter at Petra High School, which began the process through Jenny Coltart, to her husband David, who then a few years later, as Minister of Education, invited us to take Foundations for Farming into all the schools in Zimbabwe.

Many years ago we asked Angus Buchan to come up and speak at our annual Farmers for Jesus Convocation, and Angus watched us put in a Well Watered Garden on the Bulawayo Race Course in front of the main grandstand. This began a remarkable friendship between Angus and Peter, which resulted in Peter becoming Angus’s faithful armour bearer. Peter often went before Angus into many nations to prepare the way for Angus to follow and preach. Peter would then accompany Angus as a great support for him, and Peter would faithfully share the Farming God’s Way vision with every one he met on these trips. This has resulted in Peter and Nan’s deep friendship with Pastor Jason James, who together with Shane Ivers, have recently asked us to officially launch Foundations for Farming into Australia at the end of March this year. Peter’s friendship with Angus has also contributed towards the huge call we are now receiving to take Foundations for Farming into South Africa.

Apart from Peter’s service to agriculture, he has left a wonderful example of Christian manliness to our younger men. His deep love and commitment to Jesus shone through in his humble dignity, and he seemed to be a man who knew what God wanted him to do. Peter was a very faithful friend to so many of us.

Finally I want to make mention of how magnificently Kim represented her mum and sisters to Pete in the time he was up in Harare. Pete and Nan would have been very proud of her, as they were of the remarkable family they have left behind. 

Brian Oldreive
Foundations for Farming founder
www.foundationsforfarming.org

Financial Gazette

3 February 2011

The Financial Gazette’s Political Editor, Clemence Manyukwe (CM), had a conversation with Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) president, Welshman Ncube (WN), on the ongoing saga regarding his party’s decision to recall Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Arthur Mutambara. Below are excerpts of the interview in which Ncube also offered his views on the recently formed Mthwakazi Liberation Front, among other issues:

CM: Since when have you harboured ambitions to occupy this top party post?

WN: I am not sure whether one talks of ambition to occupy any position as the appropriate nomenclature. I think what is important is to recognise that if you have worked in any organisation for a long time and if you are called upon by your party members to assume a certain position of leadership and when you have repeatedly declined, you get to a point where you feel that you have been through all the learning curves, that you understand the national political dynamics better and that you have acquired sufficient experience to accept the leadership challenge at the highest level.

You think, look, not only have I acquired a lot of experience, but in the process, I have developed a vision of where you like to see your country in 20-30 years and looking around you, you realise that you have the capacity, the knowledge; you have the vision to make your country a better place for its citizens.

You say, look, maybe you can play a role in ensuring that, as a country, we can stop looking to the past in order to justify the present and explain why we cant have a better future. You don’t believe that after 30 years, President (Robert) Mugabe can take us to the promised land, you do not believe that the MDC-T can take us there.

We believe we are the leaders with the capacity, the skills to take us there. It is not about ambition. One is answering a calling because you think you can do it.

CM: Since taking over from Mutambara as the leader of the MDC, what are the immediate changes you have effected in the party?

WN: We do not think it’s a question of effecting change for the sake of being different. It is about ensuring that the party is properly organised, membership and leadership is properly motivated.

What we have been doing and what we are doing is that you stay in constant touch with the party leadership and membership in order to keep them motivated in our efforts to rebuild our party through recruiting new members and ensuring our structures are strong in every part of the country. Ever since congress, we have not had one moment’s rest.

CM: What do you consider as DPM Mutambara’s greatest blunder and greatest success during his time as MDC president?

WN: I am not aware of any great blunders that he made. What I am aware of is: He was our president at a time when the obituaries of our party were being written, in particular, during the aftermath of the 2008 elections.

The fact that as president of the party he led us to where we are today — even our most ardent enemies accept that we did not die and certainly we were never buried and that, as a party, we are much more visible today, much clearer of where we want to take this country . . . he held us together throughout the dark, doubtful days. In government, he led us notwithstanding our small numbers in Cabinet, to a performance which equalled those who have three, four times more people in Cabinet than us. In my view, this is not a mean achievement.

CM: Any comment to criticisms that the majority of your party members who lost in the 2008 general polls are the ones occupying influential government positions as opposed to those who were elected to Parliament?

WN: That criticism comes from our opponents and enemies. We know we put forward into government the best team that we could master from among our ranks, the most capable, the talented, the most hardworking. We had a task 10 times than that of other members in the coalition.

We, therefore, chose to project the best strength we had in the party; that is why so many of our opponents were offended. We certainly believe that we have a healthy mix between our elected leaders and the non-elected. David Coltart, Moses Mzila, Tapela, Makhuda and we mixed that with the three who did not get directly elected — Mutambara, (Priscilla) Misihairabwi-Mushonga and myself.

CM: Since there is a recommendation for you to take over Professor Mutambara’s position as DPM, some people wonder why the party could not deploy Prof Mutambara to your current portfolio as the Industry and Commerce Minister, instead of the regional affairs one.

WN: The prerogative of deploying party cadres to government is that of the standing committee of the party. The standing committee is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each of one of us. These strengths and weaknesses were considered and the 24 members of the standing committee felt that the skills and talents that Prof Mutambara has will be best suited for the job.

Minister Misihairabwi-Mushon-ga’s talents were better suited working with the local business community. That was the judgment of the standing committee and I, as president of the party, respects that collective opinion.

CM: Since your party recalled DPM Mutambara, have you spoken to him to get his views regarding his possible stepping down from that post?

WN: Firstly, yes, I spoke to Prof Mutambara during and after the meeting of the standing committee. He expressed his views which he wanted communicated to the standing committee, which I did and equally the standing committee wanted me to communicate to him its collective opinion and decision, again which I did.

Having done that, we await Prof Mutambara’s official opinion on the decision of the standing committee. Here, we must always understand that loyal party cadres obey the instructions of the party when they are given.

Finally, let me say that in our view as a party, it’s never about an individual stepping down from this or that post, it’s always about accepting the deployment, the command or the instruction of the party.

CM: What did the DPM request you to communicate to the standing committee?

WN: Obviously, I am not at liberty to disclose the contents of a private conversation. It would be unprofessional to do so.

CM: What is your comment on President Mugabe’s stance that there are legal complications on Mutambara’s recalling and only him will make a decision on whether or not to step down?

WN: The first point is that I will not speak to President Mugabe through the media. I am yet to hold a meeting with him to convey the position of my party. Until such time that I have had that conversation with him, it will be improper for me to comment on a matter that I have not yet presented to him.

CM: What if you communicate with him and he maintains his present stance?

WN: We do not believe he can have any official position before he has heard us. If you were a lawyer, you would understand that. A judge cannot make a determination before the case has been formally placed and argued before him. The President must hear our case first. We will not therefore engage in any speculative debate. We cannot cross the bridge we have not arrived at.

CM: Should Mutambara opt not to resign, would he be representing your party in meetings with the other principals?

WN: The foundation of your question is problematic. We do not believe that Professor Mutambara has to opt to resign. All that is required of him is not resigning, but accepting deployment.

CM: What if he declines the redeployment?

WN: Again, I refrain from crossing bridges I have not arrived at.

CM: Divisions have emerged since your congress, how do you intend to manage the crisis?

WN: We do not believe there is a crisis. There is a group of half a dozen people out of 4 500 delegates who were entitled to attend a congress. Out of the 4 500 people, we have a dozen people who are unhappy with the outcome. And they are unhappy because congress refused to re-elect them.

Surely, can we say there is a crisis? Remember, these are 12 people who failed to get any nomination from the party structures. I do not believe it constitutes a crisis.

CM: Whom do you think is funding the so-called MDC renegades?

WN: I do not know, but all I know is that virtually all of these individuals — during the last five years in the party, where unable to raise bus fare for themselves. They certainly cannot afford legal fees in this country — that is obvious.

The only clue that you might have as to who maybe funding them is the choice of their lawyers (Mbizo, Muchadehama & Makoni law firm). That may give us a clue or it might be a coincidence. If it is a coincidence, it’s a curious coincidence. The lawyers representing them are the same lawyers to one of the two parties in the inclusive government.

CM: Any chance of your party maintaining or exceeding the number of seats you have in Parliament or better still taking over power in the next elections?

WN: We have no doubt that we are the party to vote for in the next elections and therefore, that we will do better than we did in the 2008 elections, is a foregone conclusion.

CM: What is your view on the recently formed party Mthwakazi Liberation Front and its agenda of secession of Matabeleland provin-ces?

WN: We are a democratic country. Every group is free to form such political party as they believe will represent their interests. We are not privy to the ideological underpinnings of this new party. I do not know what they stand for. Let them place themselves before the people for judgment at the next election.

CM: What is your personal view on the issue of secession?

WN: We believe in Zimbabwe as one indivisible whole and that Zimbabwe is one country for all: Zimbabweans who are equal before God and before themselves and who have and should have equal political rights and opportunities.

If you can achieve this, Zimbabwe, where all of us, regardless of places of origin are treated fairly and justly and equally, there would be no foundation for secession arguments.

ICT in Education Speech

By Senator David Coltart

3 February 2011

Please note that this is an unedited transcript of the speech.

Ladies and Gentlemen good morning to you all. I apologise for arriving a bit late for your meeting. I have come from what many Harare people think of as a small little village out of town called Bulawayo and our traffic isn’t quite as much as yours in Harare so I was using Bulawayo time to get here and got caught up, my apologies.

Ladies and gentleman this workshop is a very important workshop because information technology in computers is very close to my heart and also is an absolutely key issue which we have to confront if we are to transform our educations sector and provide the foundation our nations needs through it too bring Zimbabwe into the status it deserves to be of being the jewel of Africa.

I left school quite a long time ago now, I left school in 1975, and when I left school in 1975, although I went to what I consider to be a very good school, a catholic brothers school in Bulawayo, there wasn’t a single computer in my school. Even when I went to university computers were a novelty. Infact the first computer that I ever had or interacted with was a little Amstrad. Some of you have probably never heard of that because I see that many of you are much younger but I do see some grey heads like me. But going right the way back to 1986 which was when I got my first computer – this   little Amstrad, – and I remember it proudly noting it could save a whole 2 pages of data! I could type a personal letter, I remember writing a Christmas letter to friends, and my whole letter could be saved and edited. And I thought that this was absolutely marvellous. Just last week I took delivery of a computer for my own office which can literally store every single book that has ever been published. That is the reality and that is where computers have gone just, not even in my lifetime just in my professional lifetime. You can imagine then my deep concern when I discovered when I took over this job that the last time our education curriculum was comprehensively reviewed was the same time I bought that Amstrad, in other words in the mid 1980s. If we think of what has happened to computer technology since the 1980s this explosion of personal computers, the enormous power that computers provide modern society, you will see how far behind our education curriculum has lagged. It is a fact that our education system remains one of the finest in Africa. That is in general terms and it is seen in our high literacy rates and the fact that universities not just in Zimbabwe but elsewhere in the world seek the students coming through our schools because they are of a consistently high standard. But despite that the reality is that the teachers of information technology and our integration of information technology and computers into our broader curriculum and in the teaching of all subjects remain relatively speaking in the dark ages. Because we have not looked at our curriculum for over 20 years to see how information technology should be taught and how it integrates or how it should integrate into the teaching of all subjects, maths, science, chemistry, you name it. And likewise whilst information technology is taught in many schools, the harsh reality is that in most of our primary schools there is not a single computer. In most of our primary schools information technology is not taught and when you see what is happening in South Korea and Singapore and Finland the countries that have the finest education systems you will see that at the earliest possible age children are being introduced to computers in those countries, so by the time a child gets to the age of 6 or 7 they know a keyboard and that provides the foundation necessary for the teaching of not just information technology but of all subjects. And sadly the reality in our nation is that in present a tiny fraction of children have even an opportunity to touch and use a computer, never mind understand how it works prior to leaving school. And for so long as that remains the case our nation will be doomed to 2nd or 3rd class nation status. If we have a vision for our country as being a leader in Africa and a leader in the world, then it is critically important that we get this aspect of our education system right. If follows of course that just as there aren’t very few computers in our classrooms if follows that very few of our subjects are taught using computer technology. It has not been complied with the teaching of maths and technology. And I will speak just now about a conference I went to just 2 weeks ago when for the first time I was shown Apples application technology. It’s a whole new world out there located on the cloud that is there for free, that can draw out these amazing teaching techniques that are available for teachers and  it can be drawn down from the cloud and applied, and it is magical. I was always hopeless a maths and chemistry my strength was always in the arts, but in just a few minutes as I was shown I learnt things that I haven’t learnt in 10 years at school about maths and science because the subject was just brought alive through the use of these applications. That ladies and gentleman is the future, and if we don’t grasp that future our nation is going to be left behind.

So what are our plans within the ministry? Well I’m going to outline 4 broad plans that I am promoting within the ministry. The first deals not so much with the teaching of I.T but of laying the foundation necessary for I.T. when I took over this job almost 2 years ago, on the first day when I walked into my office I found that there wasn’t even a computer in my office, in the Minister’s office. There was no internet in the minister of education’s office. I’ve since rectified that, but there are major structural problems within the ministry. As you know the ministries head office is at Ambassador House it’s an 18 storey building, 4 of those floors are devoted to administration. If you go to those administration floors you will find a very dedicated bunch of administrator ploughing through literally mountains of paper. We have 4 floors of paper in that building, with hardly any functional computers with no computerised system, no data capture computerised system, and we are back in the dark ages. We have random computers individuals have their own personal computers, but there is no network and no EMIS (education management information system) in the ministry. And as a result in the ministry we have very inaccurate data. We don’t know in any precision how many teachers we’ve got, how many children are in our schools, how many children have dropped out, what their ages are. Yes we do have data in paper, but we do not have the means to analyse the data that we need to plan. As a result the very first thing that I am setting out to do is to rectify that. We are in discussions with UNICEF and UNESCA, and through the education transition fund I am pleased to tell you that we have recently agreed that we will be bringing in consultants to assess our needs, and we have a plan of action to network the head office, to transform that administration block to implement an EMIS system and then to have a progressive program to network first of all prevention education directors in the 10 provinces, and then district offices and then ultimately schools. But until we actually do that until we lay that foundation, it is going to be very difficult to roll out an education programme in I.T because our planning in itself is efficient because we have inaccurate data. So I hope that in the course of this year we will get at least the head office computerised. You will appreciate that it is not just about networking, if we don’t have administrators that understand computers, who are responsible for the planning of our curriculum, the planning of our education system, it’s going to be very difficult to roll out an educations system that truly embraces information technology, that understand what is needed to insure that teachers are adequately trained in the use of computers. And so this is why this first point if absolutely pivotal.

The second strategy is to embark on comprehensive curriculum review. For the first 18 months I spent a considerable amount of time seeking to understand the problems in the educsation sector, and seeking to build a consensus. By the end of July last year we built a consensus with all sectors of society, with all the sectors in the education system with the World Bank, with UNICEF and of course with government. And on the 7th of September last year I presented to cabinet a 5 point strategic plan to stabilise the education sector and to take it forward. A third of those strategic interventions is to embark on comprehensive curriculum review. And of course pivotal to curriculum review is the role that information technology will play within that. Some of you may know that in Mount Pleasant there is an education training centre in the curriculum development unit. 20 years ago that was a state of the art facility. It had computers in it, that where advanced for that time, it has 2 broadcasting studios, it has a television broadcasting studio, and 20 years ago it was used to develop education materials that were then used country wide. It had an entire artistic section and of course radio was used very effectively especially for rural schools to compliment the activities of teachers in rural schools using radio. Sadly in the last 10 years that entire system has become defunct, and when you visit it now it’s a bit like visiting a museum because you reel to reel tapes, there is hardly a single computer working in that entire building, and a key intervention which I have now managed to raise money for, is to completely rehabilitate that education training centre and the curriculum development unit in Mount Pleasant. We have to get in 39 key members of staff, who are going to start working on curriculum review, not just regarding I.T, but regarding every subject and they know that part of that process is going to be the integration of information technology into the teacher of every single subject. In the course of the last few months I have also been in discussions with Apple computers to use their technology to completely rehabilitate that sector. Now some of you who may be windows orientated may say well why are you going for Apple? And the reason we are going for Apple is because only Apple at this juncture has the technology that we need to take this programme under action from the curriculum development unit into every school, especially rural schools in our country, simply through the use of podcast technology and the use of iPods and hopefully in the future iPad. It is only Apple that has that technology at present.

What is our plan of action in this regard? Well our plan of action first of all is to rehabilitate the ETC and the curriculum development unit, to get it networked, to get those teachers in connected to the internet so that they are in the development of our curriculum, our new curriculum, have access to the cloud and to all these resources that are out there so that as they develop our new curriculum they can use the most advanced materials in the world to ensure that when we teach maths when we teach science when we teach chemistry, our curriculum will infact be right up there with the most advanced in the world. What we also intend doing is rehabilitating the broadcasting unit and the television studio. We intend taking technology and starting off with pilot schools. My intention is to try to progressively get computers especially into rural schools. Let me dream a bit with you for a moment. The ETC  centre the CDU centre in Mount Pleasant will be the centre where we develop our own computer based applications using visual aids, using this technology that the rest of the world is developing. So let’s take, for example, the teaching of Maths. To teach maths in a fun way, using visual aids, to put that into computer programmes that are Zimbabwean developed by our own teachers. Then to develop systematically a programme whereby schools in rural areas will have at the very least an iPod with the projector with solar power. So that in even your most remote school, every school will have at least once a week or ideally once a day, an opportunity to come into that computer class room and even if every child won’t have access to a computer, at the very least they will be able to see and learn about these subjects using iPods being projected onto the screen using solar technology. Now all of you know your average rural primary school, you know that in many schools there is an absolutely birth of resources and you go into these schools that have bare class rooms. Those are the schools I have in mind, that why I say we have to dream. And then my hope is that we can progressively, as funding becomes available, expand, not just the number of schools that have access to that technology, but also the number of computers that we put into schools, with a 5 year goal, and a 10 year goal and a 15 year goal. And I believe that if we get the economy functioning in this country it is not unrealistic to have a 10 year goal where every single class, in every single school in our nation has a computer and a projector and solar power so that children even in the most remote school where there is no cell phone contact and no access to the internet will at least every term get a package with the latest computer based teaching aids for use in that school. So what is our long term vision. But we have to make a start and the start will be made In Mount Pleasant by bringing in these teachers and the top teachers with the best attitude towards computer technology, and then to develop the broadcasting unit and the video unit that will produce these materials which will then be used in our schools countrywide. Of course in the short term we will also use Podcast technology in conjunction with the ZBC to resuscitate the use of radio and television but of course we know that has its limitations in schools because especially in rural schools whilst they can get radio, they do not have access to television. And as we all know some of the most important teaching aids are visual and that is what we have to aim for.

The third key intervention area relates to the I.T curriculum itself and developing a programme of action for the teaching of I.T in our schools. My concern is that there has not been a well thought through programme of action in this regard, sometimes the supply of hardware and software has been random. We have had incidences where computers have been delivered to schools and there is no electricity in those schools. Or teachers themselves don’t understand how to use the computers. So whilst it makes a good front page headline, ‘The Computers have been delivered to schools’, in practical terms is doesn’t have a profound impact in the teaching of I.T in those schools. And so a key part of the general process of curriculum review has to be a close study on how we actually teach I.T in our schools and a progressive plan of action to roll out computers into schools and to ensure the teachers themselves are used to that. And for those who are windows based, and P.C based, that is where the sales of those computers of course will come in because in terms of the pricing between MAC and PC. MACs are obviously exceptionally expensive compared to PCs, and I see MAC technology being used in this relatively narrow area of using applications, whereas PCs will be used more in the teaching of I.T because they are that must cheaper and can be rolled out easier to more schools.

The 4th key area relates to the training of teachers themselves,. Now as you know the training of new teachers is done by a completely separate ministry to mine, by the Ministry of Higher Education and whilst there is a close interaction, of course I don’t have the same influence over the training of new teachers as I do in the re-training of existing teachers. So our strategy is 2 fold in that regard. We have to have a close interaction with the ministry of Higher Education, to ensure that as we roll out these other programmes; new teachers are going to be taught effectively in the use of computers and in teaching the new curriculum that we intend rolling out. But the second aspect to this is in the re-training of the 110,000 teachers we already have in our system. That is absolutely critical, that is where the education training centre in Mount Pleasant comes into play again. There is an entire facility that was set up there 25 years ago that is not being used by the ministry. There are hostels there, there is a huge building now being used by the women’s University. We need to resuscitate that and we need to take that back into the Ministry of Education and our intention is to establish a regional training centre at Mount Pleasant, so that systematically we ensure that as many of our existing teachers are brought in to that centre and trained in the use of computer technology. In a general sense of course using PCs, but also in that very specific sense of using the Podcast technology that we intend rolling out into all our schools countrywide.

Ladies and Gentleman I need to end. We can look at what I have said today in 2 ways. We can look at it as a daunting challenge which it is. The resources that we need to roll this out are indeed daunting and it is going to be a major battle for us to secure sufficient funding to achieve these goals. But we can also look at it very positively, as an opportunity to leapfrog other nations. One of the bizarre silver linings, in the clouds that have affected our country certainly in the last 10 years is that whilst we have lagged behind, relating to other countries, especially in the realm of information technology we now have an opportunity to leapfrog, to bring in the most modern, the most advanced technologies and in that way bring ourselves up to the level of Singapore, and South Korea and the other leading educational nations in the world. Our vision in the short term is to ensure that as many schools in the very least have Podcast technology, and projectors to that children can at the very least get just an inkling of that computers are all about. Also have the benefit of these teaching aids applications that are out there, and in that way enhance their studies. But in the long term we need to have a vision as a nation to progressively roll out information technology so in that 10/15 years every child that goes through our schools will understand how computers work, how to use them, because that is where the world is going. When you see what is available in schools in Singapore and South Korea and Finland you will be amazed. In those schools governments have poured money into information technology and literally in Singapore, every single child has access to a computer. That needs to be our vision. If we don’t collectively have that vision it doesn’t matter how many diamonds we have, how many platinum mines we may have, how beautiful our tourist facilities are, we will remain a second class citizen, because as we all know information technology and computers is the future and we need to provide our children with the means to embrace that future. That is why Chairman, conferences like this are so important because through conferences like this we can encourage each other capture some of this vision, and develop the momentum that we need in society to ensure that government, not just this government, but governments in future make this an absolute priority. Thank You.

Habakkuk Trust.blogspot.com

2 Feb 2011

By Linda Moyo

The Minister of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture Honourable Senator David Coltart on Friday called for the revamp of the education sector saying the education curriculum has for the past two decades not been reviewed and the history textbooks need to be re-written to reflect the true history of the country .Senator Coltart made these remarks at a Leadership Summit hosted by Habakkuk Trust .

According to the Minister, the education sector needs hundreds of million of United States dollars to turn the sector around because it has been under funded for the past two decades owing to the lack of political will to revamp sector.

Moreover the Minister said his ministry is trying to come up with text books in marginalised languages because for the last 30 years the focus has been on Shona and Ndebele.

‘We have sought to address the issue of minority languages and text books in Venda and Sotho are coming up,’ said the Minister.

The Minister also said the history curriculum has not been reviewed and was in-accurate because if you study the subject one does not get to understand who Joshua Nkomo is and what role ZAPU and ZIPRA played in the war of liberation.

‘The history curriculum is wrong because if you read it you can not tell who Joshua Nkomo was and what role ZAPU and ZIPRA played in the war’, said Honourable Coltart.

Senator Coltart further said teachers have lost motivation and Matabeleland South has lost a large number of Maths, Science and English teachers to the neighbouring countries like South Africa and Botswana who offer better remuneration and working conditions.

Of concern the Minister noted that students in Matabeleland walked long distances to school and the road networks were poor compelling students to play truancy and teachers not to go to those schools.

According to Senator Coltart because of low population density in Matabeleland there is need to build boarding schools and or to bus students from neighbouring communities.

‘The distances to be walked by students are too much and because Matabeleland is sparsely populated there is need to either build boarding schools or bus children to school,’ lamented Senator Coltart

Senator Coltart was speaking at the Matabeleland Leadership Summit organised by Habakkuk Trust last Friday to accord an opportunity for legislators, cabinet ministers and leaders of civic society, business and the church to explore ways of working together for the development of the region.

SWRadio Africa

2 February 2011

The Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Henry Madzorera (right), speaks to SW Radio Africa journalist Lance Guma and answers questions sent in by the listeners. He is asked to explain his statement that Zimbabwe should export health care workers to other countries and replies to queries about corruption in the delivery of ARV’s, accusations of misuse of money at the National AIDS Council and what his ministry is doing to retain health care workers in the country? This is an excerpt of the interview.

Interview broadcast 02 February 2011

Lance Guma: Hello Zimbabwe and thank you for joining us on Question Time. Our guest today is the Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr Henry Madzorera. Thank you for joining us.

Henry Madzorera: Thank you Lance.

Guma: OK now we start off with the editor of the NewZimbabwe.Com website, Mduduzi Mathuthu – he asks the first question and says in his own words – why haven’t you been as successful as David Coltart the Minister of Education in rallying international finance to rebuild the health sector?

Madzorera: Thank you for that very good question. Let me start by saying good evening to Zimbabwe. This question assumes that the minister of Education has been more successful in rallying international finance. I don’t know where they get that from or where the statistics come from but what I want to say is that there’s been a lot of support to the health sector, we’ve achieved a lot and there’s been a lot of international support.

I don’t think there is any ministry which is supported more than Health in this government of national unity. It might be that perhaps we have not shouted too much about it but let me just chronicle a few of the achievements we’ve had. You’ll know that on the HIV front we’ve got a Global Fund supporting Zimbabwe to the tune of several hundred million dollars.

We’ve got other programmes, organisations supported by various governments like the American government, the two CIDAS (Canadian and Swedish aid agencies) and , I’m referring here to the ESP (Expanded Support Programme); EGPAF (Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation) is doing a lot on the HIV front as well and they get funds from the American government and so this year alone they have received, I can’t accurately the figure but I think it’s around fifty million dollars to do prevention of mother to child transmission and paediatric Aids programmes and we launched this programme last week and it was in the public arena.

Then we go to the issue of infrastructure, rehabilitation – there has been a lot of support from many organisations, for example USAID helped us to rehabilitate infrastructure at our major central hospitals and some provincial hospitals and we are still getting support from other institutions. There’s been a lot of support in the area of drugs – that is why our drugs supply situation; particularly at primary care clinics have been good. In some instances going up to 90% of requirement.

This has come through other donors again who are working through UNICEF to procure what we have called Primary Care Kits. I could go on and on, we’ve got a lot of work and support going on in terms of health information systems and computerisation of the ministry so that data can flow smoothly from the primary care centre to head office.

We’ve had a lot of support on the cholera front; we continue to have support to manage cholera, to get commodities for preparedness sake; though we don’t have an outbreak going at the moment but for continued preparedness. I cannot finish chronicling the amount of assistance we are getting from partners.

On the human resources front, you know that again we have got a retention scheme going. We are the only ministry that has got a retention scheme for its workers so we do give a top up salary to all the health care workers and it has worked very well for us in terms of retaining health care workers, you won’t find that in Education.

Now I want to emphasise something – I don’t really want to compare what is happening in the ministry of Health with what is happening in Education; our problems are different, our needs are different. Education is doing extremely well I must agree right from the start and I want to congratulate Minister Coltart for the work that is happening in his ministry but to assume that not much is happening in Health would be erroneous as well.