Standard

By Nqaba Matshazi

Sunday, 26 September 2010

MDC-M and the revived Zapu are engaged in behind-the-scenes talks in the hope of coming up with a coalition leading up to elections, which are likely to be held next year, a high-level source revealed last week.

On the other hand the source ruled out unity with the faction led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai as being virtually a “non-starter”.

“There are people from both sides who are pushing for talks, although there is nothing substantive at the moment,” the source said.

Tsvangirai has already held out at an olive branch to the formation led by his deputy, Arthur Mutambara, but that was rebuffed by Welshman Ncube, the secretary-general. Ncube has labelled Tsvangirai’s overture insincere, saying he should go beyond just uttering public statements, without offering much in terms of action.

“The current position is that attempts have been made towards the signing of a reunification pact but Tsvangirai’s MDC rejected that,” he said recently. “As far as we are concerned, this is where we are.”

The source, a senior official in Mutambara’s camp, said they felt hard done by MDC-T and prospects of reunification were close to nil.

This contradicts statements made by MDC-M secretary for legal affairs David Coltart, who said he regretted the split and hoped that talks on reunifying the two formations would commence.

“There is a chance that we might work with Zapu, but anything else is highly unlikely,” the source added.

Zapu spokesperson, Methuseli Moyo said there was sentiment within the two parties to come up with a working arrangement but there was nothing official.

“There is sentiment from both sides to come up with a working arrangement, but there is nothing formal and the issue has not been discussed at leadership level,” he said.

Moyo said the issue was that no one had initiated talks between the two parties, but it was a proposition that they were willing to look at.

MDC-M spokesman, Edwin Mushoriwa, however denied that there was anything of that sort, saying he was not aware of any talks.

“Actually this is the first time I am hearing about this,” he said. “It is something that has certainly not been discussed.”

His deputy, Nhlanhla Dube also concurred saying there were no discussions at any level.

Despite the denials reports of the two parties merging have refused to die down.

Earlier this year it was reported that the two parties were on the verge of forming a coalition, but this did not materialise.

Sunday News

26 September 2010

Sunday News Reporter

POOR infrastructure is affecting academic performance at rural primary schools with some of them struggling to produce a single pupil who records passes in Grade Seven examinations.
In an interview with the Sunday News, the headmistress of Lake Alice Primary School in Lupane District, Mrs Sibongile Songolo, said her school had been recording zero percent a pass rate until 2007, when a non-governmental organisation intervened and helped them improve their infrastructure.
“As from 2007, when we started working with World Vision to improve our infrastructure, our school results have improved. In 2007, it jumped from zero percent, in the previous years, to 14 percent. In 2008, we recorded 33 percent but in 2009 dipped again to 6 percent. The decrease was mainly caused by the shortage of human resources. We had only four teachers in the whole school,” she said.
Mrs Songolo was speaking on the sidelines of the official opening of two blocks of classes that the community built with assistance from the non-governmental organisation, World Vision.
Mrs Songolo said, as a school, they were now better placed to achieve good results.
“For years, the Lake Alice community has struggled to come up with structures for pupils and teachers without any success. However, I think throughout the entire process of building these classes the attitude of the community towards education changed.
“At the beginning, parents seemed be not interested as if they were doing the school a favour. But later, they worked hard to bring water, sand and build these two blocks and rehabilitated the rest. It dawned on them that schools belong to communities and parents and not the teachers,” she said.
Mrs Songolo said the school had nine teachers and an enrolment of 360 pupils.
“We are now better positioned to do well. World Vision provided us with furniture, 160 chairs and 80 desks for the infants and 90 desks for the seniors. They also gave us furniture for teachers and exercise books.
“This kind gesture contributes tremendously in helping the school provide education in this community,” she said.
The NGO also gave the school swings and see-saws to make a play centre.
“They also gave us 20 copies of English and Mathematics textbooks for Grade 3s up to Grade 7s. They also helped us develop an orchard where we have 63 trees surviving,” Mrs Songolo said.
The headmistress said the school still faced a number of challenges that included absenteeism.
“Pupils absent themselves unnecessarily, we are also facing economic hardships and as a result parents fail to provide children with stationery, we also have the shortage of textbooks which is a drawback as they are the backbone of primary school education,” she said.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Provincial Education director, Mrs Boitathelo Mnguni, the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart, said his ministry could not resource schools without the help of NGOs and the communities.
“My ministry alone will not be able to resource adequately all our schools, more so that we are coming from a very difficult economic period. “It is the involvement of all stakeholders in a multi-faceted and multi-sectorial approach that will be able to address many challenges the education sector is facing today,” he said.
The minister said there was a need to work as a united front to make meaningful strides in education. “The education sector has indeed a mountain to climb. Together as a united force we shall be able to revitalise the sector,” he said.
Speaking at the ceremony, the national director of world Vision, Mr Edward Brown, said it was his organisation’s aim that children should be educated for life.
“In addition to this school, World Vision also supported 18 other primary and secondary schools in Lupane in the areas of water and sanitation, infrastructural development, textbook support and in the area of science education,” he said.
He said the investment at Lake Alice Primary School was made possible by the kind funding from World Vision Canada to the tune of US$53 000.
The operations manager for the Matabeleland region, Mr Khumbulani Ndlovu, said it was important for parents to realise that the school belonged to them.
“It is important for parents to take responsibility and nothing will ever move if there is no money and there are no contributions by parents. There is no way we can run away from the money issue,” he said.
The World Vision official in Lupane district, Mr Mandlenkosi Masango, said there was a need to strengthen school development committees (SDCs).
“In some schools that we work with there is a gap in terms of SDCs. SDCs are not sure of what they are supposed to do. We have budgeted for the training of SDCs so that they catch up.
“In terms of money, what is surprising is that most communities always say they don’t have money. What is surprising also is that if someone dies that person is speedily buried. Communities’ attitude must change. In Matabeleland we have a problem of attitude. In some areas when they talk about school, people stand up, they compete to assist,” he said.

The Irish Times

By Bill Corcoran

24 September 2010

HARARE LETTER: Ireland’s experience as a divided country played a role in convincing its cricketers to travel to Zimbabwe

IT WAS bound to happen, I suppose, given all the hoopla around whether the Irish cricket team would be safe and secure after they took the decision to proceed with their tour of Zimbabwe, which is taking place here at the moment.

Two months back, when Cricket Ireland (CI) sought assurances from the Zimbabwean authorities about the national team’s security if it toured the troubled African country, the team’s concerns were addressed satisfactorily by the country’s sports minister, David Coltart.

But before a ball was bowled at the Harare Sports Club in the capital last Monday, the venue for the four-day Intercontinental Cup game and three One-Day Internationals, some of the touring party were fleeced of personal items, including a laptop and a phone.

The culprits were in the bagging handling transit area in Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, however, rather than in Zimbabwe.

It appears no one told the Irish lads the airport baggage area at Johannesburg airport, where they were in transit on the way to Harare, has been known as a gangsters’ paradise for years, such is the extent of baggage theft there.

Sixteen bags were gone through and relieved of various items, and one bag remains missing in action. You couldn’t have scripted a better turn of events if you were a Zimbabwean disgruntled at the suggestion that travelling teams are not secure in their country.

Despite the incident, the Irish team seemed undeterred during the early part of this week’s four-day test, as they got off to a decent start, racking up a score of 136 runs for three by the end of the first day of the encounter. It’s just a pity they couldn’t keep it up.

Talking to Derry-born Roy Torrens, Cricket Ireland’s team manager, before the start of the second day, one got the distinct impression the team was more than happy to be in the country, and that they wanted to leave politics to the politicians.

Our own experience as a divided country played no small part in convincing the team to ignore the nay-sayers and travel to Zimbabwe.

Well, that and desire to put some distance between the two countries in the ICC ODI rankings, where they are currently neck and neck, in 10th and 11th place.

“We in Ireland have had our own troubles, and during that time we spent years of trying to return to normality and encourage countries to come and visit us. So to that end it made our job a lot easier when making the decision to come here,” Torrens said when asked if our past had any influence over the decision to come.

“If by being here we can contribute towards the creation of a state of normality, then our visit will have been worthwhile.”

One might have expected the tour to have generated some publicity in Harare, given it was a bit of a PR coup for the Zimbabweans. Mugabe and his people are usually adept at taking advantage of every little break that comes their way.

But from the locals on the street to the independent newspapers and state-run broadcasters, there has been little interest in the Irish presence, save for straightforward match reporting after each day of play.

The test arena was almost deserted during the opening innings of the four-day match, bar the odd Irish or British expatriate and local enthusiast watching the game while supping beer at the Harare Cricket Club bar. But apparently that is the norm when it comes to four-day cricket matches.

I did run into an Irishman, Desmond Lawlor, who said members of Zimbabwe’s Irish community were saving themselves for next week’s one-day internationals, when they would come out and support the team in force.

Despite all that’s happened in Zimbabwe over the past 10 years a sizeable Irish community is still scattered around the country, the vast majority of whom are in their senior years.

Des, who is a sprightly 82, says the one-day tests will be used as an excuse to get the Irish together for a few drinks and a laugh; happy times remain hard to come by for many whites in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. The majority of the population are living a type of limbo existence, waiting to hear whether elections proposed for next year – and the violence that has accompanied previous polls – will take place.

So next week’s matches between Ireland and Zimbabwe may well prove to be a pleasant distraction from these more serious issues, but probably only for a short time.

Chronicle

24 September 2010

By Chronicle Correspondent

Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) yesterday donated textbooks and 600 chairs worth more than US$100 000 to Portland Primary, Colleen Bawn Primary and High schools.
Portland Primary received 129 chairs while Colleen Bawn Primary received 248 chairs and 215 chairs were handed over to Colleen Bawn High School.
Handing over the textbooks and chairs at a ceremony at Colleen Bawn High School in Gwanda, the PPC Zimbabwe chairman, Mr Harley Dent, said the company was showing commitment to the communities it operated in by donating much needed furniture to schools surrounding their operations in Zimbabwe.
“PPC believes that the various donations made to these schools will not only enhance the school environment for learners but also for educators. In the long run we aim to inspire and motivate students to work hard and produce results that enable them to further their studies at tertiary level,” said Mr Harley.
He said the donation was part of PPC’s corporate social investment programme and the company had over the past 18 months invested about R700 000 in various projects around Zimbabwe.
Mr Harley said by continuing to invest in such a responsible way, PPC sought to contribute towards thriving and sustainable communities.
The company has previously donated stationery and textbooks so that learners at these schools would be able to attend class in fully equipped classrooms.
“Our commitment to helping the communities in the areas that we operate in is an alignment to our real philosophy. This philosophy looks at supporting projects that are relevant to the community, empower the people and are lasting. The focus is on sustainability,” he added.
The company is dedicated to investing in schools in a holistic manner so that a conducive learning environment is established and maintained, he added.
Mr Harley said that empowering children in education meant the empowerment of the nation as a whole.
PPC is the biggest cement producer in Southern Africa with seven cement plants in South Africa, one in Botswana and another in Zimbabwe.
Among the dignitaries who attended the hand- over ceremony was the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart, and Matabeleland South Provincial Governor, Angeline Masuku.

Newsday

By Fortune Moyo

23 September 2010

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture minister David Coltart is engaged in talks with the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Finance ministry over the renewal of contracts for temporary teachers countrywide.

It is almost a month into the third term and most temporary teachers had their contracts terminated at the end of last term, putting enormous pressure on the education sector.

Coltart told NewsDay on Wednesday his ministry has not changed its position on temporary teachers and said he is engaging the PSC and Finance minister Tendai Biti on the way forward.

“The position of the ministry is clear and it has not changed: we need to have contracts of temporary teachers extended and they should be included in the salaries bill, as they would have given a service,” he said.

Coltart said he was still awaiting a response from Biti.

“I am currently engaged in talks with the PSC and Biti on the issue of the renewal of their contracts and their remuneration. I am waiting for a response from the two departments before the end of this week,” Coltart said.

He said the freeze on recruitment of temporary teachers by the PSC had caused problems at most schools, as some temporary teachers had not returned to work.

“I made a statement sometime back ordering temporary teachers to return to work and I am aware that some teachers did return to work.

However, I have received reports from some schools that temporary teachers who were there last term have not reported for duty and that has affected lessons.”

Zimbabwe Guardian

By Sihle Dube

23 September 2010

While I commend the efforts by the Educational Transition Fund (ETF) and/or Enterprise Zimbabwe in giving millions of textbooks to Zimbabwe, I would like to know whether those books are in line with the curriculum in Zimbabwe and whether they are aiding the development of an indigenous education system for Zimbabwe; or merely perpetuating a Western-style education system.

Mr Branson recently revealed that his charity Enterprise Zimbabwe helped Minister David Coltart take millions of textbooks into Zimbabwe.

We were not aware that it was Mr Branson’s charity, which was launched a year ago, but also recently relaunched on the sidelines of the ongoing UN Summit on Millenium Development Goals under the Clinton Global Initiative.

While I would like to express my gratitude to Mr Branson, however, worry that much of the help that is afforded to the country might not be aligned to our needs and aspirations.

We need to make sure that donations are aligned with the aspirations of our people; not aimed at “McDonaldisation” of our country; i.e. the perpetuation of a different culture apart from ours.

South East Asian countries like Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, etc have embraced donations, but have made sure they are aligned with their own culture: as expressed through symbols understood by young Asian people.

While I commend the efforts by the Educational Transition Fund (ETF) and/or Enterprise Zimbabwe in giving millions of textbooks to Zimbabwe, I would like to know whether those books are in line with the curriculum in Zimbabwe and whether they are aiding the development of an indigenous education system for Zimbabwe; or merely perpetuating a Western-style education system.

I understand and appreciate that 20 per cent of the textbooks are being printed in Zimbabwe; but that does not say anything about the content of those books and 20 per cent is still a very small percentage. We should have over 90 per cent local production of education materials.

Countries like the US and Britain have 100 per cent local content in their texts.

Dumping of textbooks will not help local bookstores and publishers. We should align the content of those textbooks with our own needs — languages, customs and practices.

Zimbabwe overtook Tunisia this year as the country with the highest literacy rate in Africa, according to the UN Development Programme statistical digest published in July 2010.

The country now has a 92 percent literacy rate, up from 85 percent.

This is commendable, but this statistic is does not say much about what we are literate in. It is not just literacy that matters, but an understanding of our own history and ability to use acquired knowledge to become responsible citizens and develop our country.

This is only possible if the symbols and the messages in those textbooks enhances our national pride; and not denigrate our own culture and customs.

As someone who went to school in Zimbabwe in the 1970s-80s, I am very much aware of the absence of African symbols in textbooks and the focus on Europe, especially Britain in national curricula.

I sure hope that this is now not the case.

Most of the books that we read had faces of people from Europe and other parts of this world. The subliminal message in these books was the glorification of everything Western at the expense of our own images.

Comment from Senator David Coltart:

I need to reassure readers that every single one of the 13 million textbooks are Zimbabwean. They have all been produced by Zimbabwean educationalists, approved by the Zimbabwean Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Development Unit, published by  Zimbabwean publishing houses and printed 100% in Africa (20% in Zimbabwe and 80%% in South Africa). So Ms Dube has no need to fear.

Zimbabwean

By Paul Ndlovu

22 September 2010

HARARE – The Government plans to re-introduce allowances for teachers in rural schools as part of a raft of reforms meant to restore the professional status of the educators’ vocation, a cabinet minister has said.
The plan, that is part of the cabinet approved 2010/2011 Education policy, is meant to subsidise the low salaries that rural teachers. The Minister of Education, Sports, Art and Culture, Senator David Coltart, said the ministry would push for the improvement of the salaries of teachers to the maximum affordable level.
“The Ministry does not control public service salary levels, and will work with colleagues in other ministries to try to ensure that teachers incomes are improved to the maximum level that is possible in the context of the need for retaining some balance between employment costs and non salary recurrent costs, and between recurrent and capital expenditure,” he said.
Coltart said the ministry would also campaign for the re-introduction of the payment of rural allowances to teachers in remote locations. “The regulations and procedures exist for this allowance payment, and with budget provision, it would be a simple matter to reintroduce payment of these allowances as one positive step to ensure that teachers in remote locations, who are least likely to benefit from any salary supplements from parents levies, are provided an incentive to remain in post,” he said.
the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) Chief Executive Officer, Sifiso Ndlovu, cautiously welcomed the plans by the government to pay rural allowances. “That is a welcome development which is long overdue considering that some of our teachers shun rural areas because of the challenges such as transport. For the development of the country, that is a welcome move. For equal access to quality education, that is a welcome move.
“However, it may work temporarily. The question is does the economy have the capacity to pay extra funds? I just hope the minister and the Government is not fooling us about this. Because unless there is a promise from the donor community, there is already a challenge there,” he said. Ndlovu said the teacher situation was still precarious, especially with the
ministry’s directive not to engage temporary teachers.
The minister said the overall situation countrywide regarding qualified teachers was not bad, but there was a growing percentage of unqualified teachers, which needed to be stopped. “In rural areas there are much higher percentages of unqualified teachers, especially in areas where teachers have been harassed. This trend needs to be reversed because it is now being reflected in much worse results coming out of the rural areas in comparison to urban areas,” he said.
Senator Coltart said the ministry would also establish a teaching service professional council as a body to provide guidance and support to the teaching profession and help to restore its professional status.
The Senator said the ministry also proposed a number of critical system development activities for 2011, which would lay the foundation for longer term system capacity to deliver on the medium term strategic plan. “We also propose a study of teacher supply, utilization and development which will provide the basis of a more coherent strategy for human resource planning and management in the Ministry.
“This study should build on available information in the present EMIS system and other official databases, but also provide more specific and detailed information to permit more efficient and equitable deployment and utilization of the teaching corps in the country. This will include a review of non-teaching staff in the ministry and institutions to provide the most efficient and effective support to enable teachers to perform their duties,” he said.

The Independent

By Daniel Howden, Africa Correspondent

Wednesday, 22 September 2010

Sir Richard Branson championed Zimbabwe as a new destination for investors yesterday, saying it was time to get the nation’s shattered economy back on its feet.

While much of the international community has long withheld development assistance, citing the political situation, Sir Richard said the time for “wait and see was over”.

“In life, people have got to take risks,” the billionaire said in New York, where he introduced some of the world’s richest people to his investment venture, Enterprise Zimbabwe. “If everybody waits on the sidelines, it will be the people who suffer. The present state of politics in Zimbabwe is by no means perfect, but it’s a great deal better.”

The initiative has been running quietly for a year already but was unveiled only yesterday to major philanthropists at the Clinton Global Initiative forum on the sidelines of the UN’s anti-poverty summit.

Sir Richard aims to reassure private donors who want to invest but are concerned with how the funds will be used. Concerns remain that foreign investment will go to politicians rather than ordinary people. “The idea of Enterprise Zimbabwe is to have a sort of safe haven for people to invest through,” Sir Richard said.

The enterprise was given a cautious welcome by David Coltart, Zimbabwe’s education minister, who is one of several cabinet members from the two MDC factions. “I think it is a good moment for private charitable funds to consider supporting the service sectors like health, water, transport and education and the private sector,” he said.

Zimbabwe was once among the most affluent countries in sub-Saharan Africa but under President Robert Mugabe, the economy has been gutted and international confidence in the nation has been destroyed. In 2008’s presidential election, Morgan Tsvangirai beat Mr Mugabe in the first round of voting despite a brutal campaign of intimidation against the opposition. But Mr Tsvangirai was forced to withdraw from the run-off as violence escalated.

Some fragile progress has been made since and Mr Tsvangirai’s group was pushed by regional leaders to join a coalition with the ruling Zanu-PF party. The US and EU have also been urged by South Africa to drop targeted sanctions against individuals in Mr Mugabe’s regime.

Zimbabwean

By Joshua Morrison

21 September 2010

It has been over two years since the Government of National Unity was formed, and people want to know what has truly changed in the interim.

Thanks to the work of Senator David Coltart in his capacity as the Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, there have been various policy announcements in the recent months. As well as that, his ministry is currently working on a huge revamp of the Education Act.
The secondary pieces of legislation that have been created over the past decade pose an awkward problem. Looking at the statutory instruments from the 1987 Education Act reveals that the law is murky and sometimes confusing, and it has taken many weeks of hard work on the part of Coltart and his ministry to compile a comprehensive list that consolidates all the statutory instruments. At the same, there has been a lot of time taken to identify areas in the Act that need to change.
The Rights of the Child have been a major driving force when looking at the elements of Health and Safety that need to be integrated into schools all over the country. Currently Zimbabwe has an outdated curriculum, and Health and Safety is not at the top of the agenda with regards to legislation. However, this is all about to change. Coltart is looking at areas such as asbestos in schools and the controversial issue of corporal punishment. With extensive research being carried out, and legal draftsmen coming on board, we can be hopeful that the face of education in Zimbabwe will be changing for good.
Coltart is aware that his remit stops at the school gates, but is he is always thinking outside the box. A current concern for his ministry is making school travel safer by providing restrictions on what times pupils can be transported and making the use of seatbelts compulsory. This should allow parents to rest secure in the knowledge that their children will be safe at school. Not only is it going to be safer for children in terms of travel arrangements, but there will also be increased security at the school premises, with visitor restrictions being implemented.
Currently in Zimbabwe, all those of ‘school going age’ are bound by law to attend primary school. However, this is does not go far enough. The African Charter on Rights and Welfare of the Child 1990 says, ‘Every child shall have the right to education’. This clearly means all must have a right to attend school.
Children with special educational needs in Zimbabwe are often the victims of prejudice. The statutory instrument entitled, “Education (Enrolment and Exclusion) Regulation” allows for the exclusion of children who fail to benefit from attendance at school due to their level of educational attainment, or any other reason. This highlights the injustice that pupils with special needs face in being removed from school because of their specific educational requirements. Does this not encroach on their right to education?
This is just another example of how human rights are frequently over looked in Zimbabwe. However, with the new Minister of Education working tirelessly for change, Zimbabweans can be confident that the educational sector will be changing to protect the rights of children and all those who are involved in teaching our nation.

Herald

By New Ziana

21 September 2010

Confusion still surrounds the employment of more than 25 000 temporary teachers whose contracts Treasury directed the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture not to renew this term.

Investigations by New Ziana yesterday revealed that Treasury was causing the confusion as it has been issuing conflicting instructions to the Education Ministry since schools opened two weeks ago.

Initially, Treasury directed the Ministry to stop recruiting temporary teachers this term but cabinet later reversed the instruction.

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart said Cabinet had resolved that the Treasury directive did not apply to temporary teachers with running contracts.

Following the Cabinet decision, the Ministry of Education began recruiting the temporary teachers, but Treasury last Thursday again directed it to stop and withdraw services for those that had already been employed.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive Sifiso Ndlovu confirmed that the temporary reprieve to employ relief staff was reversed last week.

“There is chaos and confusion between Treasury and the Ministry of Education as to who should issue instructions to teachers,” he said.

Ndlovu said such discrepancies had an effect on the revival of the education sector.

“This is a disadvantage to students who are sitting for examinations this term,” he said, the confusion was happening at a time teachers were already stressed due to poor working conditions.

An official in the Ministry of Education’s human resources department confirmed receiving conflicting directives from Treasury on the employment of temporary teachers.

“We received verbal approval from Treasury to engage temporary teachers and we went ahead to notify school heads,” he said.

“Later on we received an instruction from the same office to stop the process and wait for written communication,” he said, adding the issue was, however, being sorted out.

Efforts to get comments from the Secretary for Finance Mr Willard Manungo were fruitless as his mobile phone went unanswered while Education Minister David Coltart and his permanent secretary Steven Mahere were locked in a meeting with their officials presumably to discuss the issue.

Zimbabwe needs 120 000 teachers when the sector is operating at full capacity, but according to Zimta, there are currently 90 000 teachers including temporary staff.