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Minister Lazarus Dokora

Abigail Mawonde and Masline Mavudzi Harare Bureau
Cambridge examinations are a luxury and the government is considering taxing students who sit these exams, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora, has said.

A number of schools, especially those run by individuals and companies, still offer Cambridge examinations despite Zimbabwe having dumped the UK supervised examinations almost two decades ago.

Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for Acacia Junior School in Harare last Friday, Minister Dokora equated Cambridge Examinations to luxurious imports. The minister said the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) exams met global standards.

“There are those who insist on taking Cambridge and we are in discussion with my colleagues — the Minister of Industry (Mike Bimha) and I’m sure Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa is listening — we’re saying if you’re importing exams you’re importing a luxury commodity,” said Minister Dokora.

“Zimsec students have excelled wherever they have gone across the globe, including places such as Ukraine where they have excelled with top honours.”

On the new education curriculum to be effected in January next year, Minister Dokora said there would be greater bias towards teaching of sciences, vocational and technical skills, Information Communication Technologies as well as major languages spoken in the country and Africa.

“The objective of the new curriculum is to shift focus from producing academically good students only, to those who are entrepreneurs, job creators, and technically skilled, who can survive on their own without looking for jobs,” Minister Dokora said.

“Furthermore, our children will be required to undergo life skills orientation programme after completing O-Level by being attached to private and public institutions as part of the application of theory to practice.”

Minister Dokora said it was time private schools embraced the new education curriculum.

He said the ministry would only license private schools which conform to the qualities of good education and also warned them against deviating from the new curriculum.

“As we continue to develop more schools and redefine the education system, we’ve fully embraced private sector participation in developing schools at all levels and strongly encourage the sector to employ need-based curriculum in support of national interest,” said Minister Dokora.

“Without developing more schools and rehabilitation of existing ones, the successful implementation of the new curriculum might remain a pipe dream,” he added.

The minister challenged private schools to provide respectable infrastructure for pupils and teachers.

He applauded the initiative by Fundo Foundation Trust to build Acacia Junior School in Madokero Estate.

The school is scheduled to open next year.

“Today we’re encouraged by this initiative by Fundo Foundation to build this school. I understand they also have plans to build a secondary school in this community. My ministry would be fully supportive of such initiatives and would encourage them to consider taking similar initiatives in other areas,” he said.

“It’s also one of President Mugabe’s legacies to provide more affordable schools close to the people in order for children to walk shorter distances to school.”