HARARE - Education minister David Coltart seems to have joined the defensive bandwagon at a time the house is burning.

He told the Daily News there is no chaos in our education sector.

This is at a time when public examinations have suffered crisis after crisis — from leaked papers to disrupted exams.

While reports countrywide indicate an education system teetering on the brink, Coltart wants the whole nation to believe all is well and rosy.

We appreciate the millions of textbooks that have been given to pupils at almost all schools in Zimbabwe but to borrow from the minister “one swallow does not make a summer”.

Thieving headmasters, poorly-run examinations, delayed examination results and government failure to rehabilitate schools, many which are no more than thatched huts or disused tobacco barns all point to a state of chaos and to an extent of downright neglect.

Coltart’s head-in-the-sand or ostrich mentality will not help us. The sooner he realises the gravity of our situation the better for all of us and future generations.

His ministry, like many others in the dysfunctional “unity” government, have disappointed Zimbabweans.
We have not even started talking about the mess in football, cricket, the lack of funding in rugby and non-existent structures in many more so-called minority sports.

Zimbabweans understand the kind of scenario that Coltart inherited but he needs not defend anything or anyone.

Facts will make all of us understand his predicament and only then can we try and augment his efforts.

But no. He would rather have us hear no evil and see no evil in the education sector.

It is akin to expecting Zimbabweans to cheer the proverbial naked King!

Yes, we have produced some of the best and our graduates continue to fly the flag high in their adopted countries and work stations.

They are growing old and will need to be replaced.

The conveyer belt needs to continue churning out the same calibre of graduates because we cannot continue to harp on what was.

As the Shona people say: Matakadya kare haanyaradzi mwana. (We can’t continue to bask in past glory).

And it is true minister, the provision of textbooks is probably one swallow that does not make a summer. - Staff Writer