Chitrest, NAYO petition Parliament over constitutional education
By Pavel Mwaoseni
Chitungwiza Residents Trust (Chitrest) and the National Association of Youth Organisations (NAYO) have petitioned the Parliament of Zimbabwe over the introduction of constitutional education in schools starting from the primary level.
The move according to Chitrest and NAYO is meant to equip citizens with knowledge about the country’s constitution which was adopted in 2013.
Currently, nothing much has been done by the government to ensure constitutional awareness among the citizens.
It is believed that when citizens have knowledge of the constitution, they can demand the protection of their rights, as well demand accountability from the elected officials.
According to Diana Kuvheya from Chitrest, it is important for the citizens to learn about the constitution so that they can benefit from its provisions.
“Please allow learning of the constitution of Zimbabwe from primary school so that the students will know how to follow the constitution, they will know what is in the constitution and also the rules and orders in it.
‘’You see someone who is in university and that person doesn’t even know anything which is in the constitutional, so it is important to start at primary school level,” she said.
The petitioners want the constitution to be introduced as an academic subject in the new curriculum.
They also want the subject to be taught to the pupils from grade 5 up to tertiary level.
Despite being adopted in 2013 the Zimbabwe constitution is yet to be translated to all the 17 official languages that are recognised in the country.
In the absence of official government programs on constitutional awareness, some civic organisations have taken it upon themselves to do awareness programs in marginalised areas.
While the efforts are applauded, they are however not enough and would need to be bolstered by a national program. Various researches and studies conducted have found Zimbabwe to be lacking in terms of rule of law and human rights.
Chitrest, NAYO petition Parliament over constitutional education
