Restoring Normalcy to Zimbabwe

Perspectives on Restoring Normalcy In Zimbabwe

 

So much has been said on the demise of Zimbabwe at the hands of ZANU(pf) that repetition of the narrative is unwarranted in this article. Suffice to say that cogent solutions are going to be proffered in the hope and belief that such proposals and similar ones will rescue Zimbabwe from further sinking in the self-dug abyss.

The current waves of civil unrest as characterised by demonstrations and stay-aways are testimony of the level of people frustrations. Setting riot police on people demonstrating peacefully and beating them up or arresting them is no solution at all. The fact that the stay-away was not organised by any political party is a strong point to take note of going forward in solving Zimbabwe’s problems.

First and foremost, this writer agrees with all voices calling for the immediate resignation of R. G Mugabe and ZANU pf. The security sector must be reformed  such that it is apolitical and professional. The voters roll and electoral body (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) must be revamped. All laws and legislations must be aligned with the new constitution. Retrogressive laws must be repealed. Non-partisan judges, magistrates and other legal officers must be appointed to the public office. That’s what is being advocated by all progressive voices in Zimbabwe. It’s true that the problems of Zimbabwe must be solved by Zimbabweans. In legal parlance, there is no obligation to assist your neighbour in dire straits. Hence our neighbours can afford to fold their arms whilst our country burns.

To wait for 2018 elections is stretching the patience and resilience of Zimbabweans to unbearable limits. The failure of ZANU pf and Mugabe is known the world over. The reluctance of ZANU pf and Mugabe to relinquish power is also an open secret. Now the question is : is there a stalemate? Should we wait for 2018? Will necessary reforms be implemented before the elections? Will ZANU pf hardliners tow the line towards reform ? Can Zimbabweans come to a round-table discussion to iron out the problems afflicting the nation ? The answers to some of these pertinent questions will be offered in the following narrative.

Dismantling an entrenched dictatorship is no easy task. It needs resolve, persistence, determination and sacrifices. We still have dictatorial parties in Russia, China, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea etc etc. However the Zimbabwean case is totally different altogether. It requires unique solutions. Which solutions?  Here they are : representatives of political parties, civic groups, NGOs, churches and ordinary citizens must convene and chart the way forward, say at HICC or National Sports Stadium. No hooligans or politicking must be tolerated. Conveners must only entertain robust debate to extricate the country from the sordid social, political and economic morass hindering progress. We owe it to ourselves, our children and the future generation. It’s a landmark shot worth trying. While this conference may not materialise, the following issues should obviously be tabled for discussion and resolving.

The efforts of Tajamuka/Sesijikile, #ThisFlag, opposition parties, YARD and recently the war veterans must be applauded and augmented. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) representing the arrested protesters must be commended for exposing police brutality. They must go a step further in instituting legal proceedings against the police officers and their superiors, even if it means a private prosecution like the Kereke case so as to send a strong warning that police brutality is unwarranted in a democratic society. MPs must table a bill which will seek stiff custodial sentences to law enforcements agents who break the law. If that cloud of human rights abuse by law enforcement agents is removed, then people will be in a position to mount a sustainable and successful demonstration to bring down the evil regime of Mugabe and ZANU pf.  It is heart-warming to note the ZLHR are representing the war veterans and the arrested protesters, former AG Ndebele is offering to assist the incarcerated liberation war heroes, two constitutional petitions challenging Mugabe’s fitness are pending in the constitutional court, and the opposition parties intend to impeach the President on the missing diamonds billions, the declining economy and corruption ravaging the country. All these efforts must be pursued with much vigour so as to pile pressure on Mugabe. Mai Mujuru’s lawsuits against the state’s draconian and insensitive policies (SI 68 and bond notes) must also be supported and applauded, so is the effort to shut down the borders.

All the efforts showing people’s frustration and happiness won’t make Mugabe and his cohorts relinquish  as we all know that ZANU pf has stone-hearted and thick-headed individuals who are selfish, and cruel. The proposal by the Platform of Concerned Citizen to form a National Transitional Authority is the way forward to extricate Zimbabwe from its deepening social, economic and political crisis. ZANU pf wont agree to a NTA unless if they are arm-twisted by SADC or AU. Currently this is highly unlikely. The proponents of the NTA must however mobilise support from all relevant stakeholders and convene a meeting at a symbolic venue like Great Zimbabwe (and attend the meeting draped in the national flag!) wherein the leadership of the NTA must be chosen and most importantly map out the way forward. The chosen shadow government must then be marketed to the international community to source the much needed FDI. The NTA idea must be pursued with vigour and determination as it is the only way to save Zimbabwe from imminent collapse. 2018 is too far! Even if the government tries to foil the efforts to formulate and implement the NTA agenda, a virtual e-state must be formulated.

The tirade against social media by Supa Mandiwanzira and the rhetoric of combating cyberwar by General C Chiwenga is confirmation that the government is aware of the power of ICT. ZANU pf cant be removed through peaceful and valiant actions like protests, petitions or impeachment. Neither can there be a coup de tat to unseat ZANU pf. An NTA structured as an e-government is the requisite coup de grace. A parallel e-state funded through e-commerce must start wooing FDI rather than wait for 2018 which are must likely to be rigged again unless if reforms take place. A well-formulated e-government provides an alternative way to the Zimbabwe political impasse. Through the social media, people must be made aware of the e-state as temporary measure to restore normalcy to Zimbabwe. FDI must not start trickling in after 2018 because that’s way too far. Its needed as of yesterday.

The original brains behind the NTA must forge ahead with or without Tsvangirai or Mujuru if the two are having cold feet about working together or if their egos supersede a call of national duty. Now that the ZANU pf government went ahead with their ill-fated plans of issuing bond notes, Zimbabwean citizens must be alarmed indeed. Rather than sitting on our laurels or on the fence, a pro-active approach being undertaken through demonstrations and court action must be augmented by other radical solutions.  Relevant stakeholders must take the bull by its horns viz-a-viz pursuing the issue of using the Rand or plastic money or bitcoin.

Zanu pf buffoons have vowed not to cede power through a mere X on the ballot paper. The nutty professor of theoretical politics recently said Zanu pf will never reform itself out of power. What does this all mean? Evicting the first family from statehouse and Zanu pf hoodlums from power through a voting process is wishful thinking. Remember the 2013 elections under Nikuv engineering? What happened in Norton must not lull people into believing that Rita Makarau, Tobaiwa Mudede and their cabals will conduct a free, fair and credible election process. Although we had refreshing news from Equatorial Guinea, the same may not happen in Mugabe’s courtyard. So what’s the way forward? A parallel e-government. Believe it or not, ICT is the way to go from now going forward. Traditional brick-and-mortar government will soon be a thing of the past.

In South Africa there is a white enclave called Orania where a semi-autonomous territory runs its affairs independent of the ruling ANC government. Even in Zanu pf itself there are parallel structures run on factional lines. In other words, to take Zimbabwe forward may not necessarily need winning an election. It simply needs programmes, policies and strong institutions to spearhead a paradigm shift in people’s standards of living. A coup is not a viable option for Zimbabwe. Neither is a popular revolution akin to the Arab Spring. It’s tomfoolery to pin our last iota of hope on the much-vaunted 2018 elections. The euphoria for 2018 will translate into disappointment to most people anticipating Zanu pf defeat. Currently there is very little political room to manoeuvre and therefore an urgent need to think out of the box.

Desperate situations call for novel measures. Just like how Zanu pf hired Nikuv and ilk, concerned stakeholders must take the cue and hire consultants to set up a virtual e-government warming the seat for the NTA post 2018 disappointment. There are people like Strive Masiyiwa and Arthur Mutambara who can render assistance in the establishment of a virtual e-government. There are Zimbabweans in the diaspora who need to be enticed to invest their knowledge, skills, time, effort or  expertise in order to change the status quo the way Jews trooped back to Israel. Now Israel is a formidable state in the Middle East . Most urban councils are under the MDC so experimenting the concept must not be much of a challenge. Whether 2018 elections are won by the opposition or not, a shadow e-government will provide a soft landing to long-suffering Zimbabweans. This concept is worth trying. There is nothing to lose in implementing it but everything to lose in complacency and procrastination.

 

 

Perspectives on Improving The South African Basic Education

A lot has been said and done regarding the standard and quality of the South African Education systems. There are pockets of excellence to be applauded like the IEB (Independent Examination Board) and areas of improvement in the CAPS/NCS system (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement / National Curriculum Statement). This article will primarily focus on the CAPS/NCS shortcomings and how to improve the system as a whole.

I have 14 years of teaching at various secondary schools in Zimbabwe (5 years) and South Africa (9 years). Having been exposed to various education systems and being curious about how the best funded education system in Africa fails to perform as expected, I have come up with the possible solutions outline below.

One aspect in the favour of South Africa's education system is the ability to adapt. After 1994, the Department of Education has changed from OBE (Outcome Based Education) to NSC (National Senior Certificate) and now CAPS. This is a very positive trait to take the education system to new heights. Organisations which can learn and change stand a better chance of success in these turbulent times. The outcry about the quality of the current education performance can be addressed through another change in the education system.

CAPS has just been introduced and from my own experience the system is giving challengesto educators and learners alike. The main challenges to the FET (Further Education and Training) or the GET (General Education and Training) systemic and structural. As far as possible, mother-tongue teaching and learning must be introduced as soon as possible. The current 98% pass rate in the IEB system may be attributed to the language of teaching and learning (which is English and Afrikaans). UNESCO (2010) Institute For Lifelong Learning explores the benefits of mother-tongue learning in Africa in greater detail. Most learners in IEB system use English/Afrikaans as their home language and as their language of teaching/learning. In contrast, learners in the NCS/CAPS systems use vernacular most of the time but are expected to pass their subjects in English. this is a serious problem affecting most African countries in general. For Africa to develop, mother-tongue must be used as much as English/Afrikaans (or French). Most, if not all developed countries use their own languages in all forms of communication and in the teaching/learning systems. Unless if Africa starts using local language, development will take far too long to accomplish. South Africa must learn from how Afrikaners developed their language to its present status. It is sad to hear Africans addressing each other in English in meetings or at rallies. Let alone use the colonial language in public schools!

Prof V Msila wrote a compelling article entitled "Africanising Tertiary Education" in response to UNISA's Vision 2030. However, this must go beyond protesting use of English/Afrikaans at tertiary institutions. After 22 years of self rule, I am yet to see any learning institution built by an African government where the language of teaching or learning is mother-tongue. This is pathetic. in today's world of technology, language translation is fairly simple and cheap. The onus is upon policy-makers to Africanise every written word into the relevant local languages. Hence Prof J Jansen (2015) launched a diatribe in News24 on the mooted introduction of Mandarin in South African schools rather than introducing local languages.

Beside the issue of language, the South African education system is overloaded with irrelevant requirements making it burdensome to learners and teachers. The number of subjects to be studied are unnecessarily too many. Someone intending to study engineering, for example, does not really need 3 years studying 2 languages, Life Orientation or any other non-scientific subject. its a total waste of time. At FET, learners must specialise in the subjects related to their future careers. By so doing they will spend more time preparing for those learning areas. As such, pass rates will certainly improve. Prof P Vale from University of Johannesburg detailed the language problem and impact in South African schools and how mother-tongue instruction can improve the quality of teaching/learning.

The current education system must not be too academically-focused. Practical subjects must be introduced such that those who cannot fit into the sciences, commercial or general stream must be catered for by offering them practical subjects such as building, welding, fashion design, art, music, dance, cookery, etc etc. In many schools the focus is on pass rates and not equipping school-leavers with life skills. Skilled people end up starting their own businesses and thereby create employment for themselves and others.

Another sad feature of South African schools is the lack of proper libraries and laboratories. Subjects of a practical nature should have a laboratory or a workshop. Most practical tasks are not done well, if at all. Hence the high failure rate in subjects requiring practical knowledge. Computer laboratories must be constructed at all schools to equip students with computer skills. The current generation of youths seem to have an aptitude in technology. Introducing computer technology-based subjects will have a positive impact on the education system and the economy in general. In the same vein, new and relevant subjects must be introduced to cater for contemporary needs of society. For example entrepreneurship, business studies, art and design, woodwork, metalwork, agriculture, programming, building and construction, plumbing, electrical/electronic systems, basic engineering etc etc.

The time allocated to Life Orientation must somehow be made available to sporting activities. in my 9 years teaching in South African schools, sporting activities are almost non-existent. The powers that be seem blind to the fact that careers can be made out of sports. The talents of most South African children is never identified or utilised. The government and labour unions must sit down and sort out this sad state of affairs. Sports is time-consuming and there are no examination results to worry about hence it takes a back-bench in the school calendar. Sports is there on paper but the implementation of sporting activities leaves a lot to be desired. Politicians shout hollow about quota systems in sports rather than construct sporting fields in schools. There are very few, if any rural and township schools with sporting fields for rugby, cricket, tennis or swimming. The only sporting fields you will meet are for netball and football and those ones will be poorly maintained.

The construction and maintenance of laboratories, libraries, sporting fields and workshops will boost the quality of the education and also have a positive impact on the economy. Tenders must floated to construct such infrastructure at schools as well as delivering books translated in mother-tongue. Furthermore, other administrative drags like 'moderation' must be eliminated with immediate effect. In my teaching experience, I have come to conclude that the moderation as done in schools add no value to the overall quality of education. It is a total waste of learners and teachers' time. Similarly, the pass requirements need to be revised upwards in the case where learners are specialising in few subjects. if some of the above proposals are implemented, I strongly believe that the quality of education in South African schools will improve