SUCCESS stories are told of how people from humble families and even impoverished families grow up to become part of the ‘who’s who’ of the nation.
Justice Rita Makarau, currently the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson, was the first Zimbabwean Judge President in 2006.
Born on December 7 1960, Justice Makarau grew up an ordinary girl in urban Zimbabwe, taking her secondary studies at Goromonzi High after Donbrooke Primary School, in Mabvuku.
She took up a Law degree in 1980.
Justice Makarau is a University of Zimbabwe Law graduate.
In 1982 she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws Degree before graduating with an Honours Degree in 1983.
And, the country’s first black commercial pilot, Captain Emilia Njovana, was educated at Monte Cassino Girls High, a Catholic Mission school in Macheke.
The schools attended by these two are nowhere near the version of the country’s modern-day Trust Schools a few elites attend today, but these women and many more made it.
One of Malcom X’s famous quotes says: “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”
Dr Oswell Namasasu, a lecturer at the UZ, in his thesis titled, The Quality of Citizen Education in Harare Primary Schools: An Evaluation of Curriculum Implementation notes that after independence, a new class of schools re-emerged under the name ‘Trust Schools’.
He defines Trust Schools as elite schools that emerged soon after the country’s independence, run by private trusts rising from various factors that include the need to perpetuate racial prejudices since black pupils were now being enrolled at the formerly Group ‘A’ schools.
A black middle-class that also wanted its children to enjoy the privileges previously limited to white children also withdrew their children from the low density schools and enrolled them at newly established private schools.
“Trust schools are thus a post-independence effort to provide elitist education for those who can afford it,” said Dr Namasasu.
“Because they charge fees well above what most can afford, they end up enrolling mostly children of the elite such as business owners and the top management of both private and public companies.
“Unsurprisingly, these schools tend to have considerably more teaching and learning resources than their former Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’.”
The Association of Trust Schools (ATS) defines a Trust School as ‘a school owned by a Trust, association, religious or charitable body or a company, registered in terms of the Education Act as a non-governmental school’.
It is not administered and controlled by government or by any organ or level of government and is effectively independent of control by any body other than its governing body; and does not carry on and will not carry on its activities for any acquisition of profit by the school, its governing body or any member thereof or its owner.
The ATS claim to be independent of politics of the day.
However, surprisingly a few weeks ago the same Trust Schools joined the stay-away that was called by anti-government groups and closed their schools.
The ATS believes there is a demand for ‘independent’ schools, from Cabinet Ministers to cabinet makers, from ministers of religion to masters of commerce.
“People want the education that is offered in independent schools, for the promise that they bring of the future,” says the ATS.
“People want quality education that smaller classes and greater resources can provide.
“People want the holistic education that prepares the whole person.
“People want the values underpinning the independent education.
“People want an international education.”
Their (ATS) independent education has prompted most of them to prefer Cambridge examinations which they claim to be superior to the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) set exams.
In an interview with The Patriot, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora said it was mandatory for every school that is registered in Zimbabwe to follow the rules of the land.
“All schools must provide the learners with the examination guidelines which allows them to participate in the ZIMSEC,” he said.
“They may then opt to include others, but the ZIMSEC exams are critical and remember that our examinations are internationally credible and we are working to ensure that ZIMSEC begins the journey of ISO certification.”
Dr Dokora said it was important to note that every learner in Zimbabwe was expected to grasp the National School Pledge as it was an integral part of the new curriculum because every learner, regardless of school, belongs to the Government and schools which do not conform to the stipulated standards should stand guided that they operate under a permit which can be revoked.
“All learners belong to the nation of Zimbabwe. No school, trust, council or mission owns learners and consequently what responsible authorities do is create the material content in which Zimbabweans can gain some education,” Dr Dokora said.
He added that since most learners in over 8 500 primary and secondary schools, compared to the 64 Trust schools, undertook ZIMSEC exams, his ministry was committed to the enhancement of the examination board and highlighted that the recent June examinations were completed with not a single incident of leakage.
“We have completed the June examinations without a single incident and we intend to take control of the printing works and reposition ZIMSEC headquarters at Norton so that we have total control and avoid third parties as this gives leeway to the leakages and corruption,” said Dr Dokora.