***Latest on N Metro*** NON NDEBELE SPEAKING TEACHERS: DOKORA SUMMONED ** TRIBALISTIC, RACIST, INFLAMMATORY OR ANY KIND OF HURTFUL OR DEROGATORY COMMENTS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED** SENIOR Minister of State in the Presidents Office, Simon Khaya Moyo, has summoned Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Lazarus Dokora, to explain the policy of engaging non-Ndebele speaking teachers in the Matabeleland region. The matter has for the past couple of weeks raised the ire of a number of academics, who have blamed it for contributing to low pass rates in primary schools in the region. Responding to a question by Zanu- PF Matabeleland North member, Christopher Ndiweni, at a Matabeleland crisis indaba held in Bulawayo yesterday, Moyo confirmed that the matter was now a topical issue which was the reason he had summoned Dokora to explain his ministrys policy on the matter and how they would address it. Khaya Moyo said it did not make any sense to have a teacher who could not even pronounce a single Ndebele word teach Grade One pupils. It boggles the mind that you find a teacher here in Matabeleland who cannot even say salibonani, litshonanjani, then what would you expect them to teach a pupil that very language. It is just like a blind person leading another blind person, in such a situation can we say this teacher is teaching or cheating. That is the reason I had to summon Minister Dokora to come and explain to me what they are doing to address such problems because this cannot be allowed to continue as at the end of the day we are paying that teacher essentially for nothing, said Khaya Moyo. He said in an informal discussion with Dokora, he had even suggested that they develop some crash programme for teachers for them to be conversant with the languages in the regions they were teaching. Moyo said Governments aim was to ensure that by next year they would have got rid of such disparities. We want teachers who can communicate, not the current situation that when you get to a class the teacher is just staring at the pupils as they will not be able to communicate with them. I will, therefore, make sure that by end of this year we would have made significant progress in implementing these crash programmes. What you should realise is that this is not just a problem in Matabeleland alone but across all schools, that is why I have sent a clear message to Dokora that it should be addressed. Take me, for example, on Monday I will be addressing in Mt Darwin, I wont talk to them in Kalanga or Ndebele but Shona, that is what we want, everyone is Zimbabwean that is why people must appreciate all the languages in the country, he said. Moyo said this was not a matter of tribalism but it was about learning each others languages and being sincere in improving the education system. I know that Dokora is not part of this meeting today but as the senior minister, I have taken it upon myself to handle this matter because at the end of the day the ministers are accountable to the people and if the people complain so be it, he said.SPK
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 13:34:39 +0000
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