Discourses on the Zimbabwe Schools National Pledge and the Religious Education Curriculum

Abstract

There have been debates regarding the reciting of the National Pledge introduced in Zimbabwean schools on the 3rd of May 2016. Observations have been made that the National Pledge had a slant towards inculcating and a call to patriotism, total national commitment, respect to the departed and living war veterans, respect of the national flag and national consciousness and development. Yet civic organisations, Christians, human rights groups and mission-run schools allege that reciting the National Pledge is reminiscent of political propaganda. Christian critics and apologists claim that the National Pledge violates the constitutional rights of children to freedom of conscience and parental rights and Biblical teachings on oaths, vows and swearing. The current study established that there was a loud outcry from some parents, teachers and pupils over the recitation of the national pledge. The Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe subsequently ruled and took the recitation of the National Pledge as unconstitutional, four years after it was challenged in court by a parent soon after its introduction in schools. This motivated us to carry out a research to practically establish what people think about the National Pledge. This study used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. A sample of six school heads, six teachers, 90 students, 10 parents, two academics and the former Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Dokora, were used as participants in our research study. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, document analysis and observations. Despite what we view as setbacks resulting from the court case won against the National Pledge recitation, we proposed what we think would be a neutral pledge that does not infringe on peoples’ religious faith and constitutional rights.