(EDITION 5)

(EDITION 5)
Education View M irror
April-October
2014
IN S ID E T H IS IS S U E :
Message from the
National Coordinator
Global Action Week
Commemorations 2014
Page 2
Day of the African Child
Commemorations 2014
Page 3
W o rl d T ea ch ers D ay
C o m m em o rati o n s 2 0 1 4
M embe rs N ew s briefs a nd
art icl es
L a u n ch o f th e E d u ca tio n fo r
A ll re p o rt.
ECO ZI G ene ral A sse mbl y
el ect s ne w M ana gem ent
Comm it tee .
P ag e 4
P age 5
E d u c a t io n V ie w M i r r o r A p r i l- O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4
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M ES S A G E F RO M T H E NA T IO N A L
C O O RD IN AT O R
Dear Re ader
We ce lebra te this publica tion which is punctua ted by the growth of E COZI
from strength to stren gth. E COZI ha s bee n in the c ivil society educ ation
sector for the pa st five years but the inro ads m ade so fa r a re mightier tha n
the span of tim e. Our tra je ctory is still clear and our hope of b eing the c ivil
socie ty voic e in e ducation is still un abate d.
This edition of the E COZ I newsletter details so me of the a ctivities tha t
were done from June to Nov ember 2014. T hese advoc ac y initia tive s have
bee n put to the fore som e of the challenge s be devilling the edu cation
sector.
These include the disturbing pace and commitment of the government and stakeholders towards education for the
disabled. The ‘inclusive education’ has become a buzz word in education circles but without tangible deliverables. More
needs to be done in the infrastructure, the teaching and learning, the outcomes and the exit of these learners from schools.
ECOZI continues to advocate for critical issues like the need for qualified and motivated teachers in the school. The
welfare of teachers is concomitant to quality education which seemingly has been missed as an indicator of success
towards the EFA 2015. However, it is critical at this level to broaden the discussion of the post 2015 education agenda as
shared on this newsletter. Your feedback is of great value please keep it coming. Our contacts are also available.
Maxwell Rafomoyo
NATIONAL COORDINATOR
Contact Details
241 Curriculum Developm ent Unit, Upper East Rd, P.O.
Box MP 813
Mt Pleasant, Harare, Zim babwe
eco zim @gmail.com
Tel:
+263 772 902 370
+263 4 333737
Follow us on:
N e w sl e t t e r A p r i l- O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4
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G L O B A L A C T IO N
W E E K
Global Action Week was held in
Masvingo Province on the 6th June
2 0 1 4 . T h e G l o b a l A c t i o n We e k
commemorations were organised by
Education Coalition of Zimbabwe
Masvingo chapter in partnership with the
Ministry of Primary and Secondary
Education.It was commemorated
belatedly because during the actual days
the guest of Honour,Minister of Primary
2014
THEME: “EQUAL RIGHT. EQUAL
OPPORTUNITY: EDUCATION AND
DISABILITY”
and Secondary Education had other commitments. There was participation of the schools for children with disability and
many more schools in Masvingo .There was wide publicity throughout the town. The theme was: Equal Right. Equal
Opportunity: Education and Disability.
D A Y O F T H E A F R IC A N C H IL D
C O M M E M O R A T IO N S 2014
The commemorations of the Day of the African Child was held at Makwasa Primary School in Hauna on 5th July
2014.ECOZI hosted the Day of the African Child in partnership with the Child Right Sector. The commemorations were
attended by 83 children from invited schools, children from the host school,12 representatives of the Child Rights Sector, the
media, representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the District Education Officer. The
2014 commemorations were under the theme, Quality, Free, Compulsory and Inclusive Education.
The children began the day by a short march from Thompson Village to
Makwasa Primary School where the school head gave the welcome speech
and introductions. The Honourable Junior Councillor gave her speech
detailing the history and significance of the Day of the African Child as well
as the importance of children.The representatives of various schools and
organizations that work in the Hauna entertained people with educational
songs, dances, dramas and poems that highlighted the plight of rural children,
especially the disabled as well as the importance of promoting child welfare
in all areas of development. These sentiments were also echoed by the 12
organizations represented by the Child Rights Coalition emphasising the
importance of children as the leaders of tomorrow, hence ensuring their
welfare is of utmost importance to the sector.
Theme:”Quality,
Free, Compulsory
and Inclusive
Education”.
The Ministry of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs sensitized the public on
the laws that protect the welfare of children in Zimbabwe as well as the penalties
of violating these rights. Children were also given information packages that had
detailed information of the services that are available to ensure their safety as
well as where they can access these crucial services. The Honourable Junior
Member of Parliament from Chisuko Secondary School zeroed in on the
importance of meaningful. child participation as well as the need to consult and
incorporate the views of children in national development. Thereafter the
Honourable Junior Member of Parliament presented a petition to the District
Education Officer (Mr Chikwangwani) on behalf of her Honde Valley
constituency.Inclusive education in Zimbabwe,as was commented by the
District Education Officer, is the corner stone of quality education.This
guarantees every child enjoys his or her right to education to the fullest .
E d u c a t io n V ie w M i r r o r A p r i l- O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4
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W O R LD T EA C H ER S D A Y 2014
The commemorations of the World Teachers Day were
held in Bulawayo at Large City Hall on Friday 3 October
2014. ZIMTA and ECOZI partnered in preparing and
commemorating the World Teacher’s Day, whose theme
was “Unite for Quality Education, Invest in Teachers,
Invest in the Future.” At least 3000 teachers, government
officials and representatives from civil society attended the
event. Teachers who participated in the event appreciated
the pillars of quality education, which are quality teachers,
quality tools and a quality environment. The Ministry of
Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) promised to
take lead in the teachers’ day commemorations and to
transform them into a national event.
The re we re sol idari ty messages from ECO ZI and U NE SCO wi th the key note ad dre ss by t he G uest of H onour Dr. L.D .K .
D okora, t he Mi nister for P rim ary and S ec ondary Educa tion and he wa s acc ompani ed by the P erm anent S ecre ta ry in the
M inistr y of P rim ary and Se condary Educa tion D r. S ylvi a U te te M asango. T he Se cret ary G ene ral for the Na tiona l Commi ssion
for UN ES CO , D r. T.P . Ndl ovu sai d t hat Zi mbabw e is a me mber of UN ES CO a nd U N ES CO program s are c oordina ted by the
U NE SCO program offi ce and t he Na tiona l Comm issi on for U NE SCO to ensure tha t the c ountry max imi zes its benefi ts of
bei ng a m embe r a nd t o a lso e nsure t hat Zi mba bwe c ontribut es w el l to UN ES CO a genda . Th e Na tiona l Coordinat or for
Educ ati on Coal iti on of Z imba bwe , M r. Ma xw ell Rafom oyo spok e of t he ne ed t o restore the st atus of the tea ching professi on in
Zi mbabw e w hic h the M edi um Te rm Investm ent P la n of 2011- 2015 the M ini st ry o f Pri mary and Se condary Ed ucat ion , then
M OE SA C enshrined S tra tegi c Obj ect ive 5 whi ch sou ght
t o re st ore the professiona l st atus of t he te ache r. T he Mi nister
del ivere d a speec h i n support of the the me, U nite for Q uali ty Educa tion, Invest in Te ache rs, Invest in the fut ure. T he Mi nister
in his addre ss empha si zed that in future Worl d Te ache rs Da y should be cel ebrat ed a s a sin gl e event and not unioniz ed be cause
not a ll t eac hers in Zi mbabw e a re uni onize d and the y also have a right to ce lebra te t hei r da y.
LAUNCH OF THE EDUCATION FOR ALL REPORT
Launch o f the Education for All (EFA) Report took place in
th
Marondera on the 25 of Septem ber 2014. The occasion was
graced by approx imately 150 adults and 200 school children.
Education Coalition of Zim babwe contrib uted and
participated in the launch together with other organisations
that include World Vision, World Education In ternational,
Save the Children, Progressive teachers Union, Zimbabwe
Teachers’Association, PLAN International and many m ore
in partnership with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary
Education. The launch was a success towards the attainment
of EFA goals by 2015. The guest of honour was honourable
L.D.K Dokora the Minister of Prim ary and Secondary
Education. He talked about the importance of
Education in Zimbabwe and the EFA report as a look into
the success story in the education sector.
Page 5
M e m b e rs ’ N e w s B r ie f s
E d u c a t io n V ie w M i r r o r A p r i l- O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4
ECO ZI M embers can contribute their news brief s
as follows:ecozim@g ma il.com
L ittl e sun l igh t br in gs a r ay hop e to m an y ru ral ch ild re n
… … … … … … ..A s th ey can stu d y after su n se t
B y E dw i n Si th ole
The sun has just gone dow n and Ta fadzw a st okes t he fi re t o li ght up the room a lit tle . The a mbit ious Ta fadzw a M uro yiw a
(13) from G utu Mup andaw ana , i n Ma svi ngo provi nce w ants to be an e nginee r. T oday he is prepar ing for hi s grad e se ven
fi nal e xam inat ions, but he re at home he squint s t o rea d and hi s eyes w at er from the smok e
of M uhac ha tre e. Aroun d 1.6 bill ion peopl e w orldw ide l ive w it hout acc ess to el ectri cit y,
re lying on kerosene lant erns for li gh ting – a m ethod t hat is both e xpensive a nd a h ealt h
ha zard. T afadz wa , doing hi s homew ork in t he e vening t o the light of a w ic k-based
ke rose ne la ntern breat hes in pol lut ion equi vale nt t o sm oking 40 c igare tte s a da y!“ The cost
of k erose ne pe r mont h is high, and com muni tie s a re not encoura ged t o cut firew ood, so
m any chi ldren are fi nding i t hard to do t heir ho mew ork and stud y at ni ght,” sa id A li ght
Z imba bwe T rust N ati onal C oordina tor, Edius Ma kono. T hings a re set t o i mprove for
stude nts like Tafa dzw a w ho li ve “off t he grid” (w ithout ele ctri cit y). Al ight Zimba bw e has
pa rtnere d w it h D ani sh a rt ist O lafur El iasson a nd E nginee r, F rede rick O tt essen t o c reat e a
new solar-pow er ed la mp afforda ble a nd avai la ble t o off grid a reas in many pa rts of Zi mbabw e. T he Li ttl e S un li ght c an
save a fami ly t hat is de pendent on kerosene 90% of w hat it usuall y spends for li ghting, whi le providi ng t en t ime s bright er
li ght. A fte r cha rging in t he sun for five hours, t he l amp provides eight hours of l ight on t he fi rst sta ge . W ith sa fer a nd
che aper li ghti ng, c omm uniti es w ho li ve w ithout p ower w il l find it easie r to study, cook, ea t,
rea d and wri te aft er da rk. M ore than forty thousand l amps w e re di st ribute d to school chil dren
in peri -urban, rural school s a roun d t he countr y a nd some t owns as the l oad she dding
cont inues to w rac k havoc t o Zim babw ean c iti zens. A t anot her note a fift een - ye ar-old gi rl
doing her se condar y educ ati on at M uumbe seco ndary school in C hipi nge di st rict used to
spend three hours w al king to sc hool eac h da y. T he w al ks w ere exha ust ing and h er pa rents
ofte n w orrie d for her safet y. A new sc hool buil d by the R om an C athol ic churc h, c all ed
U ganda M art y’s S ec ondary school bui lt c lose to he r home solve d transport c hall enges , but
la ck of ele ctri cit y rem aine d a problem for he r studie s .W it hout l ight, it wa s alm ost im possi ble
for Linda H lat yw ayo’ and other st udent s to get on wi th thei r hom ew ork a nd ot her acti vit ies. Si nce fami li es i n t he re mote
are as ofte n rel y on gasoline la nterns a nd torc hes com e n ightfal l, whi ch a re e xpensive and c an c ause ga sol ine fire s, anothe r
soluti on wa s ne eded. In l ight of t his A light Zim babw e responded b y i ntroduc ing solar l ante rns for sec ondary stude nts.
B eside s l owe ring c ost s a nd im proving safet y, li gh t from t he Li tt le S un Li ght a lso hel ps stude nts have more t ime to stud y i n
the even ing. “S i nce I st arte d using li tt le sun, I woul d li ke t o confi rm tha t m y performa nce has since im proved e spe cia lly i n
my Sc ienc e a nd M at hs subj ect s” . B efore thi s alt erna tive I c ould a lw ays be come the la st in all t hese subje cts be cause I w as
not rea ding due to lac k of l ight,I could t ry to use para ffin or ke rose ne ligh ts but t hat w ould end up m ake m y e ye s start t o
it ch due to sm oke Linda sa id .The solar la tent i s porta ble ,durabl e and affordabl e .I real l ove it bec ause I c an carr y it
w hereve r I go ,on sta ge ,w hen tra vell ing a nd eve n I go out for fun wi th fri ends. It is be cause of t hese a ttri butes w hi ch
ma kes me like this Li ttl e sun”.D udu M anhenga sa id T h e fu tu re l ook s b ri gh t f or th ese ch il dr en – an d th ei r
com m u n itie s!
A N N U A L G E N E R A L M E E T IN G
ECOZI General Meeting was held on the 19-20th June at Cresta Lodge Harare. The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education,
Hon .L.D.K. Dokora was the guest of Honour. The occasion was graced by (ANCEFA)Matilda Mwamba,(OSISA) Education Manager
Grace Nkhoma, (OSISA) Itai Zimunya, (DFID
) Steve
Harvey,(UNESCO) Fridah Manenji,(UNICEF)Soul
Murimba,(UNICEF)Pharaoh Mavhunga,(MOPSE) Zumbo Patrick,(MOPSE) Mugari Shandirai,leaders of Civil society Organization
and 22 member Organizations. At the Annual General Meeting a new board composed of the National Management Committee and
thematic committees was elected and the Constitution was reviewed and adopted.The new management committee is as follows:
Management Committee
Chairperson
Lydia Madyirapanze
FAWEZI
Vice Chairperson
J.J Makarudze.
COLAZ
Secretary
Dr L.B.K Phiri
ZNCWC
Treasurer
Simbarashe Moyo
SST
Committee Members
Terence Mawoneke
Alight Trust
Daphne Mawunge
Chiedza Child Care Centre
Rejoice Timire
DWSO
Moses Mukabeta
Save the Children
Daisy Zambuko
ZIMTA

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