Mthwakazi Rejects Garwe’s Proposal To Include Ideology Training In ECD Curriculum
Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) leader, Mqondisi Moyo, has condemned the proposal by Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe to include Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology training in Zimbabwe’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) curriculum.
Speaking at a training session for councillors and local authority staff from Matabeleland North at the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology in Bulawayo on Friday, Garwe argued that ideological education should start at the earliest stages of a child’s development.
He claimed this would help cultivate a strong sense of national consciousness in Zimbabweans from a young age. Said Garwe:
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 up knowing the nature, the structure, and the architecture of their heritage, which is Zimbabwe.
In an interview with the Southern Eye, Moyo described Garwe’s statement as a calculated attempt to embed a ZANU PF-dominated ideology within Zimbabwe’s education system. He said:
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.
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.
Moyo also warned that Garwe’s proposal would undermine the country’s diversity and foster a culture of superiority.
He argued that by introducing ideological training at the earliest stages of education, the government aimed to create generations of Zimbabweans conditioned to accept the dominance of one tribe over others.
