Why Dokora Must Be Stopped

REASONS WHY ZIMBABWEANS SHOULD REJECT DOKORA’S CURRICULM REFORM

By Dumisani Nkomo

I would like to add my voice to the growing chorus of Zimbabweans that are opposed to Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora ‘s education reform or is it “deform agenda which were ratified by the cabinet on 22 September 2016 and unveiled by the Minister on the 21 st of January 2017 in a policy paper entitled “Ground Zero – Getting Traction “. I would like to argue that the changes to Zimbabwes’curriculam are not in sync with the best education systems in the world . It is designed to create a new generation of zombies, incapable of independent thought, leadership, reasoning and enterprise contrary to claims that it seeks to achieve the former. Importantly the education reform agenda is not supported by broader reform at macro reform including but not limited to budget priorities which support the new direction and agenda. This article will prove that Minister Dokora’s new thrust is not supported by top end budget support for critical areas such as industry, science, technology, innovation, and I.C T ‘s .Children are literally being pushed nowhere very fast as there is no tangible government commitment to the productive sector .

Structural Discord

According to Dr Dokora the new education curriculum seeks to modernize education by ensuring that graduates of this system have the following skills:

1.Critical thinking

2.Problem solving

3.Leadership

4.Communication

5.Team Building

6.Technological skills

It is therefore strange that the government in the process of promoting the above which are laudable and commendable goes on to introduce changes which have nothing whatsoever with cultivating the any of those attributes .In order to cultivate leadership ,critical thinking ,problem solving etc. the same education minister goes on to introduce subjects like Mass Display from infant level right up to O’ Level . Physical education , introduction of vernacular languages as medium of teaching ,physical education .Mass  display is a concept celebrated in many dictatorships such as North Korea and  famously during Adolf  Hitler’s Germany where the Hitler youth was formed to brainwash children .Mass Display is an attempt at mass political indoctrination and hypnosis of infants and children .The national pledge , physical education , mass display at infant level smack of militarization of the education sector through the back door .Strengthening of indigenous languages is important on its own but to go to the extent of making them the medium of instruction may disadvantage our children in the long term in a very competitive global environment . It is sufficient for indigenous languages to be compulsory up to a certain level without using them as a medium of teaching .

At O Level the following subjects are now  compulsory :

1.Agriculture

2.Physical education

3.General Science

4.Heritage Studies

5.Indigenous languages

6.Mathematics

7.English

The issue of forcing subjects on students will destroy the ability of the education system to identify, develop and nurture the unique competencies and talents of children. Of course I agree that Maths, Science, English and one indigenous language can be compulsory but the  high number of compulsory subjects reduces students to zombies and robots . Not every child is meant to go into agriculture, not every child will be a sportsperson and after all the government is not investing enough resources in ensuring that these sectors are developed.

There is no empirical evidence that making Physical Education and Mass Display and Heritage Studies  will promote critical thinking , improve communication  or develop leadership . If anything subjects like literature develop critical faculties more effectively than Heritage Studies which are a subject of contention because of our contested history and multiple national narratives.

Economic Hypocrisy

The government’s education curriculum reform is pure deception because it does not mirror the government’s budget, policy priorities and imperatives. Countries which have some of the best education systems in the world have invested heavily in education and the upstream sectors that support education priorities as reflected in the curriculum. Estonia for example invests 4 % of of its Gross Domestic Product [ G.D.P] into education] whilst Qatar is investing its oil profits on education. In Zimbabwe how much of our diamond revenue went into education of the unaccounted 15 billion diamond revenue.

Whilst education received the highest budget vote of U.S800 million in the 2017 budget   other sectors which support educational priorities or pillars such as science , information communication technology ,energy etc which drive the productive sector received paltry amounts in the 2017 budget . I.C T is compulsory at school but the government only allocated U.S 12 million to this sector. The energy sector supports the end level side of science   and mathematics education but was only allocated U.S 5 million in last year’s budget . Sectors which support science and technology such as aviation received U.S 4,9 million . This is compared to U. S 22 million allocated to the welfare of war veterans , detainees etc. .Official government rhetoric pontificates about encouraging school children to be productive and yet a paltry U.S 18 million was allocated to Industry and Commerce in the 2017 budget . Self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship is preached about but  the ministry of Small to Medium Scale enterprises was allocated just U.S 6,3 million to achieve this noble goal . The office of the president and cabinet was allocated 176  million , Home Affairs 366 million and defence U.S 340 million .

This is a clear indication that the government’s curriculum development is not underpinned or supported by broad macro pillars such as budgetary support. In the absence of such support there will be inadequate infrastructure and resources to support the new thrust. Forcing people to do Physical education and sports, or expressive arts when there is no budgetary support for such sectors at the end of the education  value chain is a sheer waste of time .As long as there is no allocation of resources towards scientific research , innovation  and small to medium scale enterprises the whole new educational thrust is an exercise in futility .

Comparative Analysis In Education Systems

The new education curriculum has no peers in terms of comparing with the best education systems in the world . Finland has the best education system in the world but formal education for children starts at 7 unlike here where  children will literally spend all their childhood at school .In Finland children are not stressed with too much homework and teachers spend only four hours a day at school . There is however high investment in the professional development of teachers .According to experts  Finland has gone against the tide of global education which is based on standardization ,core subjects and control .

Zimbabwe is going in the exact direction with its emphasis on control ,  compulsory core subjects , and standardization .In Japan which is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world there is six years of elementary education , three years of junior high school , then three years of high school and university education is optional and lasts for four  years . In spite of this Japan has some of the world’s   highest standards in terms of science , maths, literacy and has few peers in technology .This was not achieved through pre historic command education  as is the case in Zimbabwe but careful planning , research , investment in systems and policies over many years .According to studies the Netherlands has the worlds happiest children because their education system does not place a strain on children .Netherlands is among the top 5 countries in terms of quality education in the whole world .Another country worth emulating is Qatar which is investing heavily in education through oil proceeds . The education minister for that country Dr Abdulalla bin Ali Thani [ a former teacher ] has brought  a revolution in education as a result of futuristic planning and ploughing of resources into the sector .

It is disheartening that only U.S 10 million will be ploughed into orphans and vulnerable children through the Basic Education Assistance Module [ B.E.A.M] whilst over U.S  700 million [combined] to the ministry of Defence , Home affairs and the Office of the president .

Zimbabwe is simply not spending enough money on basement development of educational infrastructure , production of textbooks , provision of science equipment and training of teachers . All these are essential in ensuring that an education system is effective and functional. On the upper end there is little investment in research, innovation, information communication technology and industrial development. In the absence of these the thrust of the new curriculum becomes suicidal, genocidal and self-defeating. The new system will virtually set up our children for failure

In essence parents and the people of Zimbabwe must reject the new curriculum as it is not based on current trends and is not supported by macro mechanisms to facilitate up stream activities to absorb products of the new system. Christians should reject this curriculum because it has forced Christianity out of schools even though Zimbabwe is largely  a country with a  Christian ethos . This is not to say Christianity but be forced on children but the Afro Christian consensus of our nation constitutes an indelible component of our nationhood. The curriculum seeks to militarize the education system by turning children into tools of mass political hypnosis.

Dumisani O . Nkomo is the Chief Executive Officer of Habakkuk Trust  . He is also a former teacher

Dumisani O Nkomo: Challenges of Local Government 11- Gaps In Develop...

Dumisani O Nkomo: Challenges of Local Government 11- Gaps In Develop...: Challenges of Local Governance – Structural Gaps in Development Planning By Dumisani O. Nkomo In this second instalment I will seek to ...

Challenges of Local Government 11- Gaps In Development Planning

Challenges of Local Governance – Structural Gaps in Development Planning

By Dumisani O. Nkomo

In this second instalment I will seek to take a closer look at development planning processes as a key component of local governance. Community based planning is a key component of local governance as it shapes the development agenda. Specifically, it then becomes critical to analyse the architecture of rural development planning. Notably whilst Zimbabwe ostensibly has a fairly good framework for rural development, this framework as I noted last week largely does not work and needs to be strengthened and reformed for it to deliver the development dividend. For the purposes of focus I will dwell more on development planning vis a vis rural local governance.

VIDCOS AND WADCOS

The Traditional Leaders Act and the Rural District Development Act before the advent of the omnibus Local Governance law envisages Village Development Committees and Ward Development Committees as key players in the process of rural development. The Village Development Committees [VIDCOS] are elected by the Village Assembly cyclically and are headed by Village Heads who are not elected by are in place by virtue of being traditional leaders. Their key mandate is to facilitate development at Village level and critically to formulate Village Development Plans. At ward level there is the ward development committee which is headed by the councillor the elected representative arm of local government. The assumption is that the Village Development Committees are able to produce plans at village level which are then synthesized at ward level by the WADCO and approved by the Ward assembly which is chaired by the headperson i.e. headman or woman [Umlisa ] and consists of all village heads .It is obvious that the development of wards cannot be left entirely to unelected structures and or individuals . Whilst VIDCOS are elected the Village heads who head the VIDCOS are not elected and go on to represent the villages at ward level.  

The underlying problem is that most of these VIDCOS are either dysfunctional or have a congenital incapacity to develop Village plans. The result most of the time is that that the councillor sits under some tree and writes up a ward plan on behalf of the villagers.

 My proposals are as follows:

1.  Village Assemblies should be headed by elected chairpersons who have a reasonable track record in development and leadership at local level.

2.Secondly VIDCOS and WACOS must be provided with a planning template for the village and ward plans.

3. VIDCOS and WADCOS must be sufficiently trained on their functions especially those relating to planning which by nature is a technical process and cannot be left to people accidentally chosen from the ranks of the unemployed “. Rural district councils and Non-Governmental Organizations can work together on this.

Linking District, Provincial and National Processes

Ideally the development plans are supposed to then move to the Rural District Development Committee [R.D.D.C] which consists of heads of government line ministries, council subcommittee chairs, experts as well as the district heads of the intelligence, the army, the police etc.. The last bit is clearly unacceptable and has no room in a modern nation state. After making technical input into the plans, the consolidated draft plan is then supposed to go to the Rural District Development Committee for fine tuning, adoption and implementation.

The district plans largely remain illusionary and romanticist because they are divorced from the five year strategic plans of local authorities and the local authority budget consultative process which is done at ward level. Budget prioritization, budget formulation and development planning must be integrally integrated if development planning is to yield the desired results

The local authority budget should largely speak to the development agenda in the District Development Plans and not be a stand-alone process.

Provincial Plans and Budgets

Tragically there is no clear link besides lines of command between the development processes that begin at village level and end at district level with development planning at provincial and national level. The Provincial Assembly and its attendant structures are ideally seized with this but the reality is that without provincial budgets allocated to provincial development structures this model of local governance planning will not work.

In Swaziland which has five regions, each region or province has an allocation annually and this makes provincial government responsive to the demands of the citizenry. An elected provincial governor must chair a provincial assembly which has a budget vote or allocation from central government. If each of the countries ten provinces was allocated let’s say U. S100 million this could go a long way in facilitating development.

The current constitution provides a fairly good framework for allocation of resources between the different tiers of government namely national, provincial and local.

 Section 298 [ii] states that revenue raised nationally must be shared equitably between central government, provincial government and local tiers of government “. This clause must be as a matter of urgency be implemented so that the development and service delivery agenda of local governance is achieved.

An alternative model could be retention of revenue raised locally or at provincial level with a certain component let’s say 30 %going to the national coffers. This would enable both local authorities and provincial governments to be effective in their mandate of delivering development and allocating resources to communities. Section 301 of the constitution of Zimbabwe speaks eloquently to the imperative of allocation of capital grants between provincial and local tiers of government.

Local and provincial government planning processes will continue to be a mirage if they are not underpinned by allocation of resources through public finance and budget processes.

Dumisani O. Nkomo is the Chief Executive Officer of Habakkuk Trust, a social entrepreneur and commentator and spokesperson for Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition  – He writes here in his personal capacity

Dumisani O Nkomo: Challenges of Local governance in Zimbabwe

Dumisani O Nkomo: Challenges of Local governance in Zimbabwe: Challenges of Local Governance In Zimbabwe By Dumisani O Nkomo Local governance is a crucial facet and tier of governance in any countr...

Challenges of Local governance in Zimbabwe

Challenges of Local Governance In Zimbabwe

By Dumisani O Nkomo

Local governance is a crucial facet and tier of governance in any country and as such sufficient investment has to be made into this level to ensure sustainable development ,sound service delivery and accountable governance underpinned by active citizen participation in decision making processes . This instalment is by no mean exhaustive but rather seeks to make a cursory analysis of some challenges in local governance in Zimbabwe .

Why Local Governance Is Important

Local governance is that level of governance that is closest to the people as it relates to structures, institutions and processes of local government which happen at a local level within the geographical vicinity of residents . In theory citizens are thus able to affectively influence local governance more effectively than national governance because this is a  level of where their voices can be heard and development processes influenced .The local elected leader [ideally] is accessible because he or she  is domiciled in a ward which is one of the smallest units of governance .However admittedly there are a number of challenges which need to be addressed if Zimbabwe is to enjoy a robust local governance framework epitomized by  citizen participation , responsive local institutions ,good service delivery ,accountability and transparency .

Challenges

There are at least 8 challenges which need to be addressed in order to ensure that the country has a vibrant local governance architecture . Namely this includes but is not limited to over centralization ,corruption ,dual governance structures ,narrow revenue bases ,politicization of development structures ,securitization of local governance ,questionable calibre of elected leaders and ultimately a congenital incapacity to deliver services and facilitate development .

Centralization

Urban governance continues to suffer the indignity of interference from central government especially in issues of budget ratification and appointments of key officials .There is an urgent need for the country to move towards the devolved dispensation of government envisaged in chapter 14 of the constitution . The government argues on its part that local authorities cannot be given a blank cheque as this can lead to corruption and inefficiency as evidenced in local authorities in Hfrare and Chitungwiza  .They argue that Zimbabwe is too small for governmental authority to be devolved to local authorities and provincial governments . I would like to argue that relatively small countries such as Swaziland with a population of 1,5 million have a commendable devolved  system of governance .Whilst I am opposed to the dictatorial tendencies of the monarchy ,Swaziland has a commendable Tinkundla system of governance in which five regions enjoy sufficient devolved powers . Regions such as Shiselweni which is one of the poorest in Swaziland have thus managed to develop incredibly in the past ten years due to this form of devolution.

The power of the minister of local government and that of his peer in rural affairs have to be curtailed in order to facilitate decentralization of administration duties and devolution of power in decision making .A framework that gives local authorities more teeth has to be developed to this end .

Narrow Revenue Bases

Most local authorities both rural and urban have very narrow revenue bases  resulting in limited budgets which culminate in poor  service delivery . The 2017 budget for Bulawayo for example is  about U.S105 ,455 million . Manchester United paid  about U.S120 million to sign French international Paul Pogba  which means the budget for the entire city is less than what a football club spent on one player Local authorities have over relied on rates and levies charged on residents for years but in a country where the bulk of the populace in unemployed this has seen the authorities at loggerheads with its residents . In urban areas this has resulted in in water disconnections for defaulting residents and in some cases attachment of property which has affected vulnerable sections of the community . Local authorities have to broaden their revenue bases by creating  a framework for sustainable Local Economic Development [L.E.D ] . Most local authorities own buildings ,land and other assets which can be leveraged to facilitate opening up of alternative revenue streams .

In rural areas there are unique challenges which pertain to local governance which includes issues of dual governance structures ,securitization of local governance ,dysfunctional governance structures  and politicization of traditional structures .

Dual Governance Structures

At District level the rural district councils are headed by chief executive offices who are appointed by the councils whilst there also district administrators . The district administrators who were inherited from the colonial governance system to preside over the affairs of natives remain a subject of contention as there are numerous clashes between district administrators and Chief Executive Officers .Most of the time the respective personalities play a moderating role in minimizing or maximizing conflicts due to  an apparent dualization of power .The D.A presides over the District Development Committee , co  ordinates activities of various line ministries ,supervises/works with traditional leaders whilst the C.E.O is the heads of the local authority secretariat . These two offices overlap and thus there is need to rationalize this anomaly .One solution is to totally scrap the office of the D.A .As a country we do not have the resources to maintain a bloated wage bill .

In a normal country the security forces and or intelligence apparatus have no role whatsoever in development processes . Actually the constitution states that their primary role is to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country . As such they have no business in issues of dip tanks ,sewers and rates for tuck shops . However in Zimbabwe the head of the police , army ,intelligence and prisons at district level have and are part of the local governance infrastructure . This is a clear impediment on development and  a manifest diversion from their key functions of keeping the country safe from insurgents .

Dysfunctional Development Structures

Zimbabwe has a brilliant development framework for rural development but unfortunately the frame does not work . Development as envisaged by the Traditional Leaders Act and the Rural District Councils Act begins as village level through Village Development Committees which are supposed to  develop village plans . These plans then cascade upwards to Ward Development Committees chaired by councillors and then the Ward Assembly chaired by the headmen or headwomen .Unfortunately most of these development structures are dysfunctional and fail to develop village and ward plans .Subsequently top down decision-making prevails .There is a need to depoliticize these structures and to enhance their planning capacities so that they can deliver their mandate of facilitating development . VIDCOS are not and should not be the commissariat of political parties but the development arms of localities .

Other problems such as conflicting roles of traditional and elected leaders , the size of the wards are also  issues that affect local governance and service delivery . Issues of corruption ,misplaced priorities ,poor quality of councillors and an inadequate policy and legislative framework are issues a I will cover in other instalments .

Dumisani Nkomo is the Chief Executive Officer of Habakkuk Trust , Spokesperson of the Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe ,Social Entrepreneur ,Opinion  Leader ,Film Producer

Mayibuye !