admin
They claim that after independence, the education sector has been both “politicised and militarised by the setting up of militia bases in schools, attacking teachers, and exposing pupils to violence.”
Furthermore, they allege that “the more direct effect of attacks on teachers include closure of schools, as happened in 2008 when 94 percent of rural schools were reported to have been closed as teachers fled attacks.”
Also they say 70 000 teachers fled the country between 2000 and 2008, fearing violence.
The research must be dismissed with the contempt it deserves.
The so-called research is a disgraceful, imperialist-funded and ugly piece of work. It is meant to pre-empt and tarnish the forthcoming elections in March.
The first question is who are Tswarayi and Reeler in Zimbabwean politics before and after independence? Who are their paymasters?
Coming to the shameful and unprofessional so-called study — the researchers do not state the study sample, how it was compiled and how large the sample was as required by foundational research principles and research methodologies.
They do not tell us how they got the figure of 70 000 teachers whom they say left the country because of violence. We all know that during 2006 and 2007 the South African government went on a recruitment drive for Mathematics and Science teachers as the country had a serious shortage of teachers. Many other teachers left during the economic melt-down caused by illegal western sanctions.
The sanctions caused havoc in our country in keeping with what former CIA spy John Perkins states in his book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
The sanctions caused destruction. They are a lethal weapon that the US deploys on countries perceived as not protecting that country’s exploitative interests and not accepting to be American megaphones or stooges.
In 2012, the Government through the Public Service Commission recalled all teachers who had left because of the economic difficulties and many were re-employed. These so-called researchers are silent about this.
The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education introduced the Zimbabwean Diaspora intellectual property home link to enable those who left the country to be re-employed at universities with improved salaries. That is why most departments at our universities are now run by full professors and senior lecturers. The Permanent Secretary, Dr Washington Mbizvo has done an excellent job in liaising with universities regarding their requirements.
The question still remains as to who the 70 000 teachers and lecturers are as concocted by Tswarayi and Reeler in their so-called research.
The other important aspect of research is data and information gathering. Tswarayi and Reeler do not tell us the method they used to gather their data, whether there were interviews or questionnaires used or after collecting the data how was the data analysed. How were the conclusions arrived at?
For these researchers to conclude that teachers left because of “State-sponsored” violence without giving the basis for arriving at such a conclusion does not benefit serious professional researchers. The so-called research must be dismissed with the contempt it deserves.
Farm schools were not closed because of violence. The researchers are not stating which farm school was closed and where farm schools are situated. Some of them are situated in barns or homesteads. These are community schools with their own school development communities. Now who would close such schools? Again the researchers are not even naming those schools and where they are.
In the area where I am farming in Nyamandlovu in Matabeleland North, I established Sikhanyiso Primary School with 100 pupils and it never closed. In fact, it has moved from the farmhouse to its own beautiful buildings with ablution facilities.
Would the researchers then say the school was closed? Most schools also moved away from farm barns to new premises.
At present all schools in the country have teachers and universities have professors and senior lecturers.
Zimbabwe is rated number one in Africa in literacy. Surely these so-called researchers must have intellectual deficiency syndrome to equate Zimbabwe to Iraq, Palestine, Ivory Coast and Myanmar — countries that have been destroyed and looted by America and the European Union.
More than 300 000 students complete secondary school each year in Zimbabwe. Our textbook situation is the best in the whole of Africa.
E-learning in Zimbabwe schools is arguably the best following the presidential computerisation programme in schools and the complementary programme by the army schools and welfare board for its 17 schools and by school development committees.
There are eight state universities including Zimbabwe Open University, the largest and best university in Africa with more than 20 000 students and awarding various credible degrees up to doctor of philosophy.
In 2011 enrolment was 53 095 in universities and of these 43,2 percent were female students. The Government’s policy of one state university per province is being fulfilled. There are only two provinces remaining and these are Mashonaland East and Manicaland whose work is in progress. Matabeleland South’s university in Gwanda will be opening this year.
Regarding technical and vocational education and training, in 2011 there were 17 176 students and the figure went up to18 000 in 2012 and the female students were 41 percent which is nine percent lower than the Sadc protocol requirement.
Coming to teacher education, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education trains teachers and hands them over to the sister Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture for employment. In 2010 teachers’ colleges produced 3 745 new teachers for primary including Early Childhood Development. In 2011, 2 912 new teachers were produced.
Most of the teachers who had left due to economic difficulties caused by illegal western sanctions were replaced by new graduating teachers, so the bogus, alarmist, imperialist foot soldiers’ figures are a whirlwind in the desert.
Dr Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu is a respected politician and educationist who holds various credentials including a Masters in Public Administration and Doctor of Education-Syracuse University USA. He is the founder owner of ZDECO Group of Colleges, and winner of Education Person Century Award-2000. He is widely published and has done research in countries like Botswana and Zambia.
Online Reporter