AN audacious bid by the Dadaya High’s school development committee (SDC) to force Primary and Secondary Education minister Lazarus Dokora to stall the implementation of the new education curriculum has suffered a stillbirth after the Bulawayo High Court ruled it was not urgent.
BY SILAS NKALA
Dadaya filed an urgent chamber application at the Bulawayo High Court on February 9 challenging the minister over the introduction of the new education curriculum, which the school argued was “disruptive”. The SDC cited the school’s headmaster and Dokora as respondents.
“There is no basis upon which this matter can be allowed to jump the queue. I refuse to deal with it on an urgent basis. The matter will proceed by ordinary application,” Justice Nicholas Mathonsi ruled.
In its application the SDC submitted that on February 4, 2017 a parents’ meeting was held at Dadaya High School, where the headmaster said a curriculum change was to be implemented, as per the minister’s directive through a Circular Number 2 of 2017.
“When the first respondent [school head] was asked why the parents or applicants were not consulted about such a significant change in the education system, he highlighted that consultations were carried out with villagers, who were randomly picked in the surroundings of the school and it must be noted that Dadaya High is a boarding school and majority of parents do not reside within the surrounding areas,” the application read.
The disgruntled parents then authorised the SDC to file an urgent application against Dokora, arguing the school did not have the requisite infrastructure, skills and facilities to implement the changes.
The SDC said the Constitution provides for the consultation of interested parties in law making processes and failure to consult the parents violates section 68 of the Constitution.
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SDC chairperson, Leopold Mudisi, in his founding affidavit, submitted that he was seeking an interdict against Dokora and the school head from effecting the new curriculum, which he said has been imposed on their children.
Mudisi said the changes have profound, deep-rooted and catastrophic implications to the education needs of its children.
