News / National
David Coltart defends the recently-launched national pledge?
14 May 2016 at 09:39hrs | Views
FORMER Minister of Education, Sport and Culture David Coltart has defended the recently-launched national pledge saying it is principally correct but wrongly implemented.
The pledge was launched in schools at the beginning school term on May, 3, but was received with mixed reactions as public schools embraced it while a majority of private ones rejected it.
Parents and churches have been campaigning against its recital saying it violates the country's constitution and their religious beliefs.
However, the government has defended it saying its contents are derived from the country's constitution.
Addressing journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club on Thursday, former MDC Bulawayo Senator Coltart said Minister Lazarus Dokora's intentions may be good but misunderstood.
Primary and Secondary Minister Dokora used to deputise Coltart during the unity government.
"Firstly it's not wise for any former minister of education to sit and criticise the current minister of education. It's a difficult job, sometimes good intentions are misinterpreted. You'll not see me on social media lambasting Dokora," said Coltart.
He said the pledge can promote patriotism among pupils.
"In principle the pledge is fine. In principle there is nothing wrong about getting children to recite a pledge. Many nations do it, it can build patriotism in children," he said.
However, Coltart said, the method of implementation had led to the outcry from parents and guardians.
"My concern about the pledge is two-fold. Firstly I don't think there was adequate consultation done and that's not necessarily Minister Dokora's fault. It might be a fault within the ministry. It seems to me in a Christian church and among other parents, rightly or wrongly, it came as a surprise," Coltart.
"It wasn't a good way of implementing a policy. Secondly the pledge is too complex. We're talking about a pledge that primary school children have to remember and recite."
He said the language used in the pledge also needs revision as contents of the pledge were taken from the constitution which was drafted by lawyers who use jargon in expressing themselves.
"The constitution whether we like it or not is a legal document drafted by lawyers not poets. I think what we need is not a recitation of the constitution preamble I think we need a bit of some poetry," he said.
Coltart said the pledge was also too long and not easily understood by pupils.
The pledge was launched in schools at the beginning school term on May, 3, but was received with mixed reactions as public schools embraced it while a majority of private ones rejected it.
Parents and churches have been campaigning against its recital saying it violates the country's constitution and their religious beliefs.
However, the government has defended it saying its contents are derived from the country's constitution.
Addressing journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club on Thursday, former MDC Bulawayo Senator Coltart said Minister Lazarus Dokora's intentions may be good but misunderstood.
Primary and Secondary Minister Dokora used to deputise Coltart during the unity government.
"Firstly it's not wise for any former minister of education to sit and criticise the current minister of education. It's a difficult job, sometimes good intentions are misinterpreted. You'll not see me on social media lambasting Dokora," said Coltart.
He said the pledge can promote patriotism among pupils.
"In principle the pledge is fine. In principle there is nothing wrong about getting children to recite a pledge. Many nations do it, it can build patriotism in children," he said.
However, Coltart said, the method of implementation had led to the outcry from parents and guardians.
"My concern about the pledge is two-fold. Firstly I don't think there was adequate consultation done and that's not necessarily Minister Dokora's fault. It might be a fault within the ministry. It seems to me in a Christian church and among other parents, rightly or wrongly, it came as a surprise," Coltart.
"It wasn't a good way of implementing a policy. Secondly the pledge is too complex. We're talking about a pledge that primary school children have to remember and recite."
He said the language used in the pledge also needs revision as contents of the pledge were taken from the constitution which was drafted by lawyers who use jargon in expressing themselves.
"The constitution whether we like it or not is a legal document drafted by lawyers not poets. I think what we need is not a recitation of the constitution preamble I think we need a bit of some poetry," he said.
Coltart said the pledge was also too long and not easily understood by pupils.
Source - the chronicle
