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Wallace Ruzvidzo

Herald Reporter

ANTI-CORRUPTION education will be mainstreamed into the country’s formal school curriculum so that people shun the vice from a young age, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) Chairperson, Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo has said.

The development comes as the corruption watchdog shifts gears in its bid to combat graft this year, aided by the full capacitation of all its arms.

In an interview, Justice Matanda-Moyo said discussions with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education were underway to have anti-corruption education in schools.

She said it was imperative that anti-corruption education be inculcated in people from a young age to ensure the realisation of a corruption-free country at all levels.

“ZACC is currently working with the Curriculum Development Unit in the Ministry of Primary (and Secondary) Education to input teachable content in school syllabi,” she said.

“Establishment of Anti-Corruption Clubs in schools and colleges, appointment of Anti-Corruption champions in both urban and rural communities are tools that will be used.

“Mainstreaming anti-corruption content in the formal school curriculum is an important preventative tool.”

Justice Matanda-Moyo said ZACC was working on correcting the public’s perception that it was a toothless bulldog.

To this effect, the anti-graft body will be working with religious groups as well as disseminating anti-corruption information on both electronic and print media.

“ZACC will work with religious groups in raising anti-corruption awareness and ensure the integration of efforts from both the public and private sectors in raising anti-corruption awareness.

“You will recall that ZACC’s focus for 2021-2025 is to ensure the increase of its services by digitising ZACC services, decentralisation, recruitment and capacitation of critical staff; we will continue to pursue these strategies,” she said.

Justice Matanda-Moyo said ZACC had capacitated its investigators as it continues to tighten the noose on corruption activities.

ZACC will ensure that institutions are strengthened through the development of corruption prevention policies, and establishment of structures such as integrity committees.

“As an institution mandated to fight corruption, ZACC aims to continue reinforcing the implementation of measures to combat corruption and we plan to broaden our efforts to tackle broader array of governance vulnerabilities by strengthening the role of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) and other related instruments,” she said.