National Pledge: Respect the Right and Freedom of the Child Minister - Zapu

Educationists, parents, religious organisations and individuals have expressed their disapproval of the national pledge proposed by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. A leading Harare Church leader has held a meeting with the Minister but the outcome of that meeting has produced no clear solution.

The proposed pledge starts by calling on God and then goes on to link one's commitment to Chimurenga/Umvukela. It is meant "to create and cultivate patriotism and a commitment to Zimbabwe".

Like the rest of Zimbabweans the people of Bulawayo have lived through and through Zanupf's deliberately twisted definitions and interpretations of words or situations, hence the pledge is a political indoctrination and another attempt to impose a commitment at a very early age to a political party.

It is an attempt to say abandon your own ways of worshiping and commit yourself to Zanupf given the fact that Zimbabweans generally are very religious. This is obviously eroding people's rights to religious freedom for partisan politics.

They have failed to do so with their college subject called Nass as the youth just cram it to get certificates and diplomas but never bother to believe the partisan propaganda, let alone to put into practice any of those things learnt.

This is evidenced by their massive flights to neighbouring countries instead of subjecting themselves to blind "patriotism".

The pledge seeks to divert attention from the issues of real life. It is meant to be something new as the government rides roughshod over the basic needs of education. The hypocrisy is that it does not matter even if one is taught by a hungry teacher who travels from a rural school, finds that the bank does not have cash and is forced to sleep in the street. This does not really matter. They must just make sure that the children get committed to a political party all their life.

And truly, using the school system to compel children to commit themselves to any political party at an early age is a violation of their rights. This has to be resisted by all to protect the children.

The Minister must improve the quality of education by providing them with adequate learning material instead of compelling grossly underpaid teachers to force children to recite cheap partisan propaganda in the name of a national pledge.

Those who are resisting this need to be supported by everyone who loves freedom, justice and all rights of the individual at whatever age.