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Columbus Mabika Herald Reporter

Legislators have reiterated their commitment to working closely with Government and all relevant stakeholders to ensure children have access to quality education while educators’ needs are met.

Speaking during a workshop on education provision hosted by the Education Coalition of Zimbabwe (ECOZI) recently, acting chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio on Primary and Secondary Education, Cde Johnson Madhuku said it was important for Parliament to hold all relevant stakeholders to account in terms of the education financing process in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (for quality education) and the Education 2030 Framework for Action.

“We recognize that there is still a long way to go to ensure that the full SDG4 Agenda is met. As Parliament, through our oversight role we need to scale up our momentum through the active participation in holding all stakeholder’s relevant too education accountable,” he said.

“As a committee appointed to the responsibility of education, we will do everything within our powers to ensure that there is provision of quality education and in the same bracket, ensure that the needs of teachers and educators are met.”

Cde Madhuku said his committee was fully behind Government’s drive on alternative comprehensive methods of learning and inclusive of every learner, including the disadvantaged and vulnerable.

Proportional representation legislator, Dr Ruth Labode (MDC Alliance), said there was need to close the gap between the rich and the poor in schools so as to avoid the abuse of the vulnerable.

“If we fail to close the gap between the rich and the poor, those vulnerable at some point will be used by powerful people to rebel because they do not have anything to lose,” she said.

Dr Labode said there was need to relook the clause that banned corporal punishment in schools as a way of instilling discipline.

She said there was need for parliamentarians to obtain first-hand information on how pregnant pupils who are continuing with studies were carrying on with education.

“We need to find out how pregnant pupils in schools are faring. 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 will not help us.”

ECOZI national coordinator, Mr Innocent Chimonyo said his organization will continue to coordinate and facilitate civil society participation on effective educational policy formulation and implementation towards attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) and other national educational objectives.