Government should revisit provisions in the Education Amendment
Bill, in particular clauses that seek to ban corporal punishment and the
exclusion of pregnant pupils from school, legislators have said.
Contributing during the Second Reading of the Education
Amendment Bill, the legislators said some of the provisions had the potential
of reversing the high standards that Zimbabwe had achieved in education.
Bikita West MP Cde Elias Musakwa (Zanu-PF) said there was
need to relook the clause that banned corporal punishment from schools as a way
of instilling discipline.
He said allowing pregnant pupils to continue with studies
had the effect of undermining the desire to uphold the country’s moral fabric.
“As Parliament, we will be judged harshly,” said Cde
Musakwa. “We have a value system as a country and society. We are all products
of corporal punishment and abandoning it in favour of other forms of
punishment, I do not think it will help us.”
Cde Musakwa said Zimbabwe was renowned as a country with a
high literacy rate, a sign of high morals. “Zimbabwe is one of the few
countries with literacy rate above 90 percent,” he said.
“It shows moral intactness of our moral fabrics. Condoning
child pregnancy in schools is tantamount to reversing the gains we have
achieved.”
Shurugwi North MP Cde Ronald Nyathi (Zanu-PF) said
outlawing corporal punishment in schools was not sustainable.
“I am visualising a situation where a pupil misbehaves,
what do you expect the teacher to do? We are showing mistrust in our teachers,”
said Cde Nyathi, who quoted some biblical verses to support his argument.
He said outlawing the exclusion of pupils for non-payment
of school fees ought to be re-looked.
“This is because not all schools are Government-owned,”
said Cde Nyathi.
“In boarding schools, a child ought to pay for his or her
upkeep like food.” Herald
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