By Lloyd Gumbo
Parliament has urged the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to improve its communication, so that members of the public and other stakeholders can buy into its new initiatives.
Members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education, Sport, Arts and Culture told Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora that poor communication was his ministry’s greatest let down.
They said this when Minister Dokora appeared before the committee last week.
Mutasa Central MP Mr Trevor Saruwaka (MDC-T) said it was important for the ministry to improve on its communication strategies if its programmes were to be supported.
“Your tenure as the Minister of Education has been riddled or characterised by controversies, for instance on incentives, e-enrolment, new curriculum or on the National Pledge,” said Mr Saruwaka.
“Don’t you think there is a problem with communication between your ministry and your stakeholders and the nation at large? When you present your issues, they seem quite clear, but it appears there is a disconnection between what you know and what you want to do and the communication with the rest of the nation, where you end up being fought from all angles? Don’t you think you need to do something about communication from your ministry to the nation?”
Zanu-PF MP for Pelandaba-Mpopoma, Cde Joseph Tshuma added: “The minister and his ministry are lacking one thing and its communication. Let me give you an example of STEM, when it came in, I remember when it was first implemented, even Cabinet had not approved it, but because of jingles and talking, people started buying into it”, he said.
Dr Dokora acknowledged that his ministry had not done enough to communicate its initiatives.
“On communication, I agree with you,” he said.
“My biggest challenge is having bodies in the communication system who cannot perform the task.
This ministry has raised expectations, we must be able to communicate. The Herald
