Dokora hails Islamic education; Is Zanu PF the cause of problem?

If Mugabe was not supporting the move, he could have fired him

Charles Mabhena

Yesterday your news provider zwnews.com tipped you that Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora was locked up in a workshop where he was quizzed by fellow MPs to explain his pro-Islam curriculum.

The workshop took place at the Harare International Conference Centre after a directive from parliament that he holds it, as the House thought that he should explain the policy that has a capacity to change the education system in an about turn fashion.

Dokora who is being blamed for attempting to replace Christianity with his own Islamic religion teasingly told the MPs that his teachers were not pastors or preachers, and as such cannot be used to instil religious beliefs in children.

He said his idea of introducing Muslim and Buddhism into the new curriculum is to expose the children to different religions and not to turn them into followers of such religions.

The debate has just caught MPs, teachers, as it has done to parents, and other people on the streets.

zwnews.com took it to the streets to get the feel of the citizens who are the real beneficiaries or victims should the system gets into full swing.

Fananai Hoko 30 of Kuwadzana had no kind words for the minister and his ZANU PF government.

“These guys are drunk, they want to feed our children on poison, while fully aware that their children who are educated in the western countries are not affected.

“It is silly they claim wanting to instil patriotism in our children, while their own children are attending foreign schools overseas. No wonder why their grandfather President Robert Mugabe and his family always travel abroad for medical checks, when we have hospitals and qualified doctors here in the country,” he said.

His comments come at a time most ministers are said to be sending their children abroad for education shunning their own and local universities.

Another citizen who is a vendor along Robert Mugabe Road in the Harare CBD Mai Dada, said if the government could not clip his wings Dokora is going to introduce Satanism on the children. “The main problem here is ZANU PF, when it wants anything it does all it takes to have it forced on the people. If Mugabe’s government was not supporting him in this silly move, it could have reprimanded him or even remove him from the post,” she said.

Meanwhile, Takawira Jenami (24) of Mabvuku begs to differ, he says over the years children of different beliefs were introduced into the Christianity religion via the education system but nobody complained about it.

Christianity is one of Zimbabwe’s most followed religions; the country’s Constitution recognises the presence of other religions too.  Zimbabwe’s education was shaped on the Christian basis in one way or the other with mission schools (largely Christian oriented) still available.