Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka
Zimpapers Politics Hub
ZIMBABWE’s ongoing consultations on the possible renaming of schools bearing colonial-era names have sparked widespread public debate, emotional reflection and renewed national introspection on the country’s historical identity.
While the Government has rightly clarified that the exercise remains at a preliminary consultative stage, the broader significance of the process cannot be ignored.
At the centre of the debate is a profound national question: Should independent Zimbabwe continue to allow its learning institutions to carry names associated with colonial conquest, racial domination and the systematic erosion of African identity?
The answer increasingly emerging from education experts, cultural scholars and national development advocates is that the country must decisively move towards aligning its institutions with the values, aspirations and identity of an independent Zimbabwe.
Far from being an attack on history, the proposed renaming exercise represents an important decolonisation process aimed at reclaiming national heritage and restoring indigenous pride within the education system.
The consultations currently underway in Bulawayo schools should, therefore, be viewed within the broader framework of the Heritage-Based Curriculum, which seeks to produce learners grounded in Zimbabwean values, culture, innovation and patriotism.
For decades after independence, many institutions retained names inherited from the colonial era — names that often celebrated colonial administrators, settlers and imperial figures whose legacies were intertwined with the dispossession and oppression of the African majority.
While some of these names became familiar over time and acquired sentimental attachment among former students and communities, familiarity alone cannot override the historical realities they represent.
Educational institutions are more than physical spaces for learning.
They are symbols of societal values, collective memory and national aspirations.
The names attached to schools help shape identity, belonging and consciousness among generations of learners.
This is why the Government’s move to begin consultations on possible name changes is both timely and necessary.
Importantly, authorities have made it clear that the process is not abrupt or authoritarian.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has emphasised that the consultations are merely research-based engagements designed to gather views from stakeholders before any decisions are taken.
This consultative approach reflects maturity, inclusivity and democratic sensitivity.
Parents, school authorities, alumni associations, learners and local communities are all being allowed to participate in discussions around possible alternative names.
Such inclusivity is critical because schools occupy an emotional and historical place within communities.
The Government’s position also demonstrates that the exercise is not about erasing history, but about correcting historical imbalances and ensuring that public institutions reflect the values of a sovereign nation.
Across Africa and indeed globally, former colonies have undertaken similar processes as part of reclaiming national identity after political independence.
Many countries changed city names, street names, monuments and institutions that symbolised colonial domination.
Zimbabwe itself has long been part of this trajectory. Soon after independence, Salisbury became Harare, Fort Victoria became Masvingo, Umtali became Mutare and Gwelo became Gweru.
These changes were not cosmetic exercises; they were symbolic declarations of African self-determination and cultural restoration.
The same logic now extends naturally to schools and other public institutions.
Critics of the renaming initiative argue that some colonial-era names have become historically significant over time and should be preserved for heritage purposes.
While such concerns deserve acknowledgement, preserving history does not necessarily require glorifying colonial symbols in contemporary public spaces.
History can still be taught comprehensively in classrooms, archives and museums without requiring institutions educating African children to continue carrying names rooted in colonial subjugation.
In fact, retaining colonial names in schools can unconsciously perpetuate psychological remnants of colonial rule, where indigenous identity appears secondary to imported historical narratives.
One of the key strengths of the Heritage-Based Curriculum is its emphasis on cultural consciousness and national identity.
The curriculum seeks to ensure that Zimbabwean learners appreciate their history, languages, traditions and liberation heritage while acquiring skills relevant to national development.
Within this framework, the identity of schools themselves becomes highly significant.
A school name is not merely administrative; it carries symbolic meaning.
When learners attend institutions named after local heroes, indigenous landmarks, liberation icons, or culturally significant concepts, they develop a stronger connection to their own heritage and national story.
This is particularly important at a time when many African societies are grappling with the lingering effects of cultural alienation and identity erosion caused by colonial education systems.
The proposed names emerging from consultations in Bulawayo reflect this broader attempt to localise identity and cultural ownership.
Suggested names such as Esigodlweni seNkosi, and Bulawayo High School point towards efforts to ground institutions within local heritage, geography and national symbolism.
Such names resonate more closely with the country’s cultural and historical realities than names associated with colonial administrators.
Beyond symbolism, the renaming exercise also has educational and psychological importance.
For many years, colonial education systems across Africa deliberately promoted European history, language and identity while undermining indigenous knowledge systems and African cultural confidence.
The result was the creation of generations psychologically conditioned to admire foreign identity while viewing their own cultures as inferior.
Post-independence education reforms across Africa have, therefore, increasingly sought to reverse this damage through curriculum reforms, language promotion and cultural restoration initiatives.
Zimbabwe’s Heritage-Based Curriculum is part of this continental movement towards educational decolonisation.
The renaming of schools should, therefore, not be viewed in isolation but as part of a wider national effort to reshape the philosophical foundation of education itself.
Importantly, Government has wisely chosen a phased and consultative approach rather than imposing blanket directives.
This allows room for dialogue, consensus-building and sensitivity to community concerns.
