The Zimbabwean 7 December 2006 HARARE - The Zimbabwean government has suspended the teaching of human rights and democracy in secondary schools and announced the setting up of the Chitepo Ideology College, poised to indoctrinate youths in Zanu (PF)'s socialist policies. This is in addition to Border Gezi youth militia training - already a prerequisite for admission to tertiary institutions, including the Journalism School at the Harare Polytechnic. The government has been implementing a pilot project to include human rights and democracy education in the syllabi of secondary schools in three provinces. The project was to be extended to the remaining seven provinces next year. Documents in possession of The Zimbabwean show that the government has directed that the pilot project be withdrawn immediately and all teaching of human rights and democracy suspended. No reasons were cited in the education ministry's circular to the affected schools. The move comes at a time when teachers and principals in Gokwe have been forced by gun-toting youths to form Zanu (PF) branches and cells at schools. The youngsters, headed by notorious gang leader Toki Marufu, brutally assaulted five teachers - one of them a pregnant woman - at a primary school in Gokwe about two weeks ago after the teachers failed to produce Zanu (PF) cards. He has now banned the circulation of The Zimbabwean in the area because it was "indoctrinating people with neo-colonial hogwash." The gang of Zanu (PF) youths has ordered all teachers to buy Zanu (PF) cards and convene regular meetings at which the teachers must shout slogans and sing revolutionary songs. "There is total lawlessness here. We have now been forced to become Zanu (PF) politicians despite the fact that on enrolling into the teaching profession we are told never to engage in politics," said a teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We have no option but to comply because the youths are armed and violent. We have failed to get protection from anyone, not even the police or education officials." © 2006 The Zimbabwean http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/viewinfo.cfm?linkcategoryid=3&linkid=8&id=2782 ======== Global Human Rights Education listserv ======= Send mail intended for the list to < >. Archives of the list can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/lists/hr-education/ **You are welcome to reprint, copy, archive, quote or re-post this item, but please retain the original and listserv source.
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