THE call by Local Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe for the inclusion of Hebert Chitepo School of Ideology training in Zimbabwe’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) has sparked fire with critics dismissing the approach as an attempt to indoctrinate innocent children.
Garwe last week called for the inclusion of the ideology training in Zimbabwe’s ECD curriculum to instil national consciousness in children at a tender age.
“We want you to go as far down as even the ECDs in terms of an ECD-based curriculum so that our children or our grandchildren will grow knowing the nature, the structure and the architecture of their heritage, which is Zimbabwe,” Garwe said at a training workshop for councillors and local authority staff in Bulawayo last week.
The remarks have created an uproar with Mthwakazi Republic Party leader, Mqondisi Moyo, saying Garwe's statement was a calculated move to entrench a Zanu PF-dominated ideology within Zimbabwe's education system.
“This move, under the guise of "national identity and patriotism," is a direct threat to the cultural identity, language and heritage of Matabeleland indigenous groups, particularly the Ndebele people. Garwe, a staunch Zanu PF supporter, is merely echoing the party’s long-standing policy of political domination,” Moyo said.
“The Phakamani High School incident highlights Zanu PF's push. Students protested against being forced to learn the Shona language and culture, sparking concerns about the erasure of Matabeleland and Midlands indigenous languages and cultures.”
He feared Garwe’s proposal would undermine the country’s diversity and promote a culture of superiority.
Moyo said Garwe's proposal was an attempt at indoctrination, aligning with Zanu PF's broader agenda.
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He said by introducing ideology training at the earliest stages of education, government sought to create generations of Zimbabweans conditioned to accept the dominance of one tribe at the expense of others.
"The consequences of such a policy will be far-reaching, perpetuating inequality and social injustice," he said.
Garwe made the remarks on Friday in Bulawayo during a training session for councillors and local authority staff from Matabeleland North province under the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology.
The training is focused on councillors and local authority staff, but Garwe said the programme would expand to other institutions.
Garwe dismissed claims that the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology was a partisan organisation, insisting that it is a national institution working towards promoting Zimbabwe’s heritage-based education.
“Let me start by correcting some narrative that I came across this morning when I arrived here. The Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology is not a party-based organisation, it’s a government organisation, even though its consummation was through the ruling party in the 70s during the war,” he said.
“It is now a government institution which is assisting our universities in ensuring that we drive heritage-based education to Zimbabweans. That is the principal responsibility of the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology. Ideology has no political face. Ideology carries a national face, the face of Zimbabwe.”
Garwe said ideology training should be embraced by all Zimbabweans, regardless of political affiliation, as it promoted unity and national development.
The councillors’ training programme was attended by representatives from Zanu PF, the Citizens Coalition for Change and a councillor from the MDC party led by Douglas Mwonzora.
Garwe said the ministry had seen the need to integrate a heritage-based initiation course into local governance training.
“Government saw the need, therefore, to include a heritage-based initiation course in the training and induction process to ensure local authorities as a third tier of government better understand the national development agenda as espoused in Vision 2030,” he said.
