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Archive for September, 2010

Join the debate – Support pregnant learners or punish them

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Thursday, September 16th, 2010 by Amanda Atwood

Last month, the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture issued a new policy which reversed the government regulation which required pregnant girls to be automatically expelled from school.

Instead, the Ministry granted female learners who got pregnant three month’s leave, after which she could resume her studies. A male student responsible for pregnancy would be given paternity leave for the same period.

But a circular issued by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary reverses all of that. Once again, pregnant schoolgirls and prospective fathers will be punished.

According to the circular: “The law provides for the exclusion of a learner who falls pregnant, and expulsion of a learner responsible for it.”  After consultations between the school and parents or guardians, a girl could be readmitted to school three months after a baby’s birth at the grade or form she had been in before she had the baby. However, the boy responsible for the pregnancy would be considered for admission at another school, and only after a period of 12 months. “It should be noted that re-admission of the boy learner is not automatic, as approval would have to be sought and granted from the ministry of education before re-admission in any other formal school,” the circular said.

Join the debate!

Protest the renewed discrimination against learners who are also prospective parents. Email your views to the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture on moesaczw [at] gmail [dot] com

Disagree? Think pregnant students should be punished, not supported? Share your feedback on this issue with us – comment below or email info [at] kubatana [dot] net

Now we know his salary, perhaps he can disclose the full extent of his wealth

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Thursday, September 16th, 2010 by Catherine Makoni

Interesting article in the Sunday Mail of the 12th-18th September 2010. Good to know the president got a salary increase from $400 to $1750. Good percentage increase for himself there. Wonder how many people would get an increase of +400% in this environment? Not many l would wager. Anyway now that we know how much he earns officially perhaps we can have another front page disclosure of how much he earns from other perhaps “unofficial sources of income”? It would be interesting to know how the family could afford to send the first daughter to school in Hong Kong on a $400 salary.  Maybe she benefitted from the Presidential Scholarship Fund? I mean a $400 salary surely meant her parents fell under the “disadvantaged” category? And that would have qualified her for a presidential scholarship wouldn’t it?

Great that he can now open an Edgars Clothing account. “When the President read it, he beamed and said, “The salary has not only improved; l am also eligible for an Edgars Account!” That according to Cde Charamba. But then, he hardly needs it does it? It would really be funny if it wasn’t so cruelly arrogant and insensitive.

Zimbabwe goes back to punishing pregnant learners

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Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 by Amanda Atwood

As this excerpt from an IRIN article last month illustrates, “falling pregnant used to mean the end of school for girls in Zimbabwe.”

In 2008 Sarudzai Gopoza, now 19, dropped out of school after falling pregnant. “He refused to marry me. My father said he could not look after me, so I had to look for a job. Luckily he let me leave the child under the custody of my mother,” she told IRIN.

A government regulation stipulating that pregnant girls automatically be expelled from school meant that Gopoza – who was about to write O-Level examinations, a school-leaving certificate that would have greatly enhanced her job-finding prospects – had to work as a domestic worker.

“My life is ruined – as a housemaid I am earning hardly enough to buy food and clothes for my child, and I don’t see myself being able to further my education and get a better job in the future. I will consider myself lucky to get a husband who will also accept my child and look after both of us,” she said.

So I was excited by and impressed with a new regulation by the Ministry of Education, Sport, Art and Culture that would give pregnant female learners three months’ maternity leave, after which they could resume their studies. The new regulation also gave a male student responsible for pregnancy paternity leave for the same length of time.

But the latest report from IRIN sees the Ministry backing away from these provisions. There is a return to the previous, harsher attitude toward pregnant learners – and  accordingly a far more punitive response to them.

According to IRIN:

“Learners in all schools may be suspended, excluded or expelled from school for various acts of misconduct of a serious nature,” Stephen Mahere, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, said in a circular.

“Pregnancy of a learner, and being responsible for it, are such an example of misdemeanour of a serious nature. The law provides for the exclusion of a learner who falls pregnant, and expulsion of a learner responsible for it,” the circular warned.

After consultations between the school and parents or guardians, a girl could be readmitted to school three months after a baby’s birth at the grade or form she had been in before she had the baby, Mahere said.

However, the boy responsible for the pregnancy would be considered for admission at another school, and only after a period of 12 months.

“It should be noted that re-admission of the boy learner is not automatic, as approval would have to be sought and granted from the ministry of education before re-admission in any other formal school,” the circular said.

Two years on GPA at 0.5 / 5

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Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 by Amanda Atwood

I attended the Civil Society Monitoring Mechanism (CISOMM) meeting commemorating the second anniversary of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) yesterday. The meeting also launched the six month shadow report on the performance of the inclusive government of Zimbabwe – 2010

The event included a panel discussion with Prof Lloyd Sachikonye, Tabita Khumalo, Bulawayo East Member of Parliament and member of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC), and Member of Parliament Paul Madzore.

Prof Sachikonye started off the panel discussion by outlining the state of Zimbabwe two years after the signing of the GPA. He looked at five key performance areas for the GPA. His analysis was more balanced, but I made my own score card for these five areas:

  • Economic: 0.5 (half a point for kerbing inflation, zero points for economic growth and job creation)
  • Constitutional reform: 0 (How can we have a functionally consultative Constitution making process in an environment where citizens are still harassed and intimidated and public meetings are still cancelled by the police)
  • Media reform: 0 (Sure, there’s now a daily version of the Zimbabwe Independent. But what about radio licensing? Independent television? Not to mention renewed jamming of SW Radio Africa)
  • Security sector reform: 0 (Minister Makone: What New Leaf)
  • Transitional justice and reconciliation: 0 (How can we even talk about justice when there is still violence?)

Total: 0.5/5

Sachikonye said “some things are happening,” as if this gave the GPA a positive score. But to me it felt more indicative of just how much we’ve been through. He spoke of the trauma of political violence in 2000, 2002 and 2008, but I think the trauma Zimbabweans have experienced goes beyond just political violence. It’s about our economy, our governance, and the myriad ways in which people have been disempowered over the past 10 years. We’re so traumatised that we are grateful that “some things are happening,” that there is fuel at the service station and bread in the shops. We view that as progress – rather than viewing that as normal, and demanding more from our government.

About JOMIC, the body specifically created to monitor compliance with the GPA, Khumalo said “we have no power to force signatories to observe or implement the GPA. We write them letters.”

Madzore spoke of the continued harassment by the police at political meetings, and how even MPs have been arrested for holding Constitution outreach meetings. He said “we have no cooperation at all.”

Sachikonye said the picture was mixed. But I’d say it’s downright gloomy. We’re only positive about the GPA because of how bad things were before.

SMS feedback – Zimbabweans’ top issues for the Constitution

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Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 by Amanda Atwood

In an effort to share the Chicken to Change video more widely, and to gather feedback on what issues Zimbabweans want addressed in the current Constitution making process, we sent the following text message yesterday:

Kubatana! Get video of Chicken to Change by SA band Freshlyground. Text yr postal addr & top issue for Constitution by noon 16 Sept. First 100 replies will win.

We have been flooded by responses, with issues ranging from Presidential powers and term of office to the reform of the security sector and resolution of the land issue.

Here are some of the first responses:

  • Age and term of office of president
  • Decentralisation of government
  • Systems of government
  • Top issue is abt dual citizenship
  • Affordable health and education for all
  • Devolution of power, land and unitary gvt
  • Checks and balances in the presidium. Separation of power should be clearly defined and everyone subject to it. Independent electoral body must be appointed. We must amend the running of the elections
  • Presidential Term
  • Presidential term should be 2 years
  • Diaspora vote
  • Top issue: How the constitution can be protected from violation by executive and service chiefs and generals
  • Arms of the state
  • The President’s terms of office
  • Appointment of electoral commission
  • We need to know the definition of a hero, and who decides the status of a hero – national, provincial or district etc. Zanu PF (Politburo) should not do that alone. Men should be granted maternity leave to monitor their pregnant woman even if the woman is not employed
  • Dual citizenship must be allowed and coloureds need to be recognised as indigenous.
  • Executive authority to cabinet. 2 natural and gvt resources, eg. land, human not for political milage
  • Elections
  • The top issue is about the 99 year lease
  • Top Issue 4 Constutition – Powers of the President
  • Human rights and total democracy
  • Constitution top issue: Use of 99 year lease agrm or title deeds on land    ownership. We prefer title deeds
  • Presidential tenure and presidential powers.
  • Presidential age and term of office.
  • It’s about how to issue the new Constitution in favour of public, not ruling government
  • No to executive powers to the president.
  • Arms of State – Executive
  • Registrar General
  • 2 x 5 year term limit for President. Executive power share between Pres and PM. Dvld state. No capital punishment. Rt to personal preferences
  • Top issue for constitution is the president’s term of office
  • Devolution of power
  • Presidential age limit. Minimum 40 max 65. Two terms only
  • Terms of office for president and age limit. President to be answerable to senate / parliament. No one is above the law of the land.
  • Lots of harassment by those who claim to be the ruling party but have already lost the support. No transparency in this programme
  • Gay and lesbian rights.
  • Right of freedom of expression.
  • AG, RBZ Governor and all service chiefs should be elected in Parliament then sworn in by President.
  • Reduce Presidential Powers
  • Separation of powers
  • Land issue
  • Appointment of electoral commission
  • Gay issue
  • We want free and fair monitored elections in the constitution please especially in presidential terms!
  • What was collected by copac is what should be in the constitution
  • Term of office president
  • Many meetings were disturbed by Zanu PF thugs e.g. in Amaveni Ward 9
  • Constitutionalisation of local authorities in Zimbabwe
  • President must have 2 x 5 year term of office
  • I want democracy to be brought back so that we may be able to exercise our rights and to express our feelings without fear
  • Redistribution of land
  • Gender equality and women empowerment
  • Press Freedom
  • President should rule for two terms and hand over to the other.
  • Decetralisation of govt
  • Top issue is the right of gays to be allowed to marry people of the same sex.
  • Presidential powers

Get your Chicken to Change ringtone

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Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 by Amanda Atwood

Okay so it’s official. Freshlyground have been banned from performing in Zimbabwe next month because of their Chicken to Change video. I know it’s official because I saw it on ZA News. Those puppets don’t lie.

Meanwhile, I’ve just made the Freshlyground Chicken to Change song my ringtone. Maybe now I’ll look forward to people phoning me . . .

You can download the ringtone here.