admin
Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter—
SCHOOL heads yesterday hit out at Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora, accusing him of causing confusion in schools through a raft of policy changes he made since taking over the portfolio last year. During debates at the on-going National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) annual conference attended by close to 900 delegates in Victoria Falls, school heads expressed displeasure over the minister’s policy reforms.
Participants said Cde Dokora’s policy pronouncements since assuming office were negatively affecting schools, while accusing him of failing to consult.
“The minister is causing a lot of confusion in schools with his policies. There’s no consultation and that’s affecting the education sector,” bellowed a school head from the floor.
Another head weighed in: “We don’t understand why a minister would want to ban extra lessons and even holiday lessons because this is when teachers go an extra mile to impart knowledge on students ahead of examinations.”
Another participant claimed Cde Dokora was misdirecting his energies.
“Zimsec should provide exam materials for practical subjects on time to expedite procurement and uniformity. These are the issues the minister should address,” said the participant.
Others chided the minister for failing to attend the meeting. “There is no-one from the ministry here, which shows that they think this meeting is not important,” fumed another headmaster.
Mathias Luphahla, the deputy Provincial Education Director for Matabeleland North, represented the ministry as the host and welcomed guests.
School heads urged the minister to consult extensively before announcing policy changes.
The proposed salary adjustments for heads according to qualification, skills, experience and type of the school headed as well as the ban on incentives, holiday and extra lessons have proved to be unpopular with teachers.
The directive for schools to seek legal recourse against parents who default in paying levies and tuition fees, instead of sending pupils home, as well as the banning of Form 1 entrance tests have generated debate since Cde Dokora assumed office.
Nash president Johnson Madhuku said Cde Dokora’s policy pronouncements were demoralising teachers.
“We were talking about policy pronouncements in the ministry… they don’t consult and we just hear issues being brought to us in schools without any engagement. Teachers are really demoralised because of these issues,” said Madhuku.
He said most of the policy announcements have had a negative impact on schools.
“What we want is the ministry to consult and make sound decisions that benefit both the school and pupils. The minister should have come to explain this,” said Madhuku.
Also discussed were reports of alleged proposals not to pay teachers during holidays, which Minister Dokora has dismissed as false, the ban on the sale of uniforms by schools as well as the prohibition of holding sporting events during weekends.
Schools heads said the government should respond to such concerns and called for clarification of the relationship between the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and that of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Cde Dokora could not comment as his mobile phone repeatedly went unanswered for most of yesterday.
The conference ran under the theme “Education: An Invaluable Investment”.
Online Reporter