The minister who set cat among pigeons

Tendai Chara
Since his 2013 appointment as Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, hardly a month passes without him featuring prominently in public debate.
His pronouncements, some of them personal opinions and some of them policy recommendations, always have a way of stirring emotions.
Dr Lazarus Dokora’s ministry is in the process of putting final touches to a new education curriculum which will be effected next year.
It is in this context that he has always been in the news.
His latest cat-among-the-pigeons pronouncement has to do with Ordinary Level pupils soon being required to have drivers’ licences in line with the Life Orientation Skills Programme to be introduced in 2016 under the new education curriculum.
The Life Orientation Skills Programme is a compulsory five-month work-related initiative (itself cause of a brouhaha) before they get their O-Level examination results.
It will see learners work in hospitals, uniformed forces’ departments, schools and private institutions, engaging in volunteerism and acquiring skills.
In an interview published by this paper last week, Dr Dokora said his ministry was already hammering out a pilot project to determine the feasibility of the drivers’ licenses scheme, with the Transport Ministry also involved.
Dr Dokora said two schools in Matbeleland South were already offering driving lessons and facilitating road tests with the Vehicle Inspection Department.
He went on to say that in Europe, for instance, when a child turned 16, s/he was assisted by the school to acquire a driver’s licence. He called this an empowering thrust.
Nothing wrong with that. So why the hue and cry?
It probably has to do with a wrong interpretation driven largely by debate on social media.
Dr Dokora was wrongly quoted by some people as having said pupils would only be allowed to sit for O-Level examinations after acquiring drivers’ licence.
This even saw an MP, Ms Priscilla Misiharambwi-Mushonga asking in Parliament: “How far true is the circulating rumour that students will only be allowed to sit for O-Level examinations after they have acquired their motor vehicle driving licences?
Dr Dokora responded: “My response to the question is that this is false, there is nothing like that. I thank you.”
However, before Dr Dokora’s appearance in Parliament, the social media was awash with mixed sentiments, with stakeholders accusing the minister of having the wrong priorities.
Some parents accused Dr Dokora of making “unilateral” decisions, without consulting them. Others agreed with Dr Dokora, saying a driver’s licence is a necessity.
“This pronouncement will enhance and encourage children to do something. I work with youngsters in the motor industry and to drive (Manual Handling Equipment) you need a licence. Wake up Zimbabwe. Dr Dokora is 75 percent right,” one blogger wrote.
On the contrary, another blogger charged: “Most schools do not even have computers and textbooks and now the minister is busy talking about a driver’s licence. We do not have enough schools and some pupils still walk more than 10km to school. A driver’s licence is a luxury. This is a clear case of misplaced priorities.”
Another weighed in, “There are so many good things that can be introduced to our education but we cannot introduce them all. In my view Dr Dokora is out of touch with events.”
Calls were made for the minister to tackle “more serious issues” such as teachers’ welfare
Among policies initiated by Dr Dokora that have generated much talk are scrapping of monetary incentives for teachers and banning of extra lessons.
Many parents were also particularly unhappy when Dr Dokora said parents were free to pack condoms for their children in schoolbags.
He, however, said he would not allow condoms to be openly distributed in schools.
The introduction of inspections in schools also roused different opinions among stakeholders.
Dr Dokora courted controversy when he said as a matter of policy, Government was not going to fight the introduction of mobile phones in schools.
The biggest positive about all this is that the minister has gotten people to talk about how our schools are run.