Harare Conference
Link Community Development, working with the Commonwealth Consortium for Education and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, hosted a conference on behalf of the Zimbabwean Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture (MoESAC) in Harare on 12-13 July.  

The conference provided the first opportunity for Senator David Coltart and his MoESAC colleagues to share their Draft Interim (July 2010 – December 2011) and Five Year (2011-2015) Plans with a wider audience. Over the course of the two-days the draft plans were debated with representatives from within government and beyond. 

The conference was attended by more than 90 delegates from over 40 organisations including MoESAC, other Ministries from the Government of Zimbabwe, the World Bank, donors, teachers’ unions, international and local NGOs and church groups.
A summary report of the Harare conference proceedings and discussion can be found here.

A list of attendees at the Harare conference can be found here.

London Conference

Following a successful seminar in Harare, Link Community Development, working with the Commonwealth Consortium for Education and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, hosted a second in London on 22-23 July.  Hon. Senator David Coltart, Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, addressed the conference which focussed on the revitalisation of the education sector in Zimbabwe. A copy of the Minister's Power Point presentation can be found here.

The conference set out to inform a UK and international audience of the realities facing Zimbabwean education, progress being made to improve the situation, the Ministry’s interim plan, current support from existing partners, and opportunities to partner going forward.

The conference was attended by delegates from over 50 international organisations, NGOs, academic institutions, teachers’ unions, high commissions, embassies and diaspora groups. Following the minister’s address, the opening plenary session provided an overview of current international assistance to education in Zimbabwe. Representatives from the World Bank, DFID and the Zimbabwean Ministry of Education outlined the situation as it stands and fielded questions from a packed hall.  After lunch delegates broke up into smaller working groups to discuss areas of particular interest including:

• Rehabilitation of Schools and the School System
• Teachers & Curriculum
• Options & Prioritisation in the Face of Budget Constraints
• Enabling access to education for marginalised and other groups
• Partnerships for Development
• Skills, Diaspora and Volunteering

Friday’s plenary session saw Perran Penrose, Chair of Link Community Development, interview Senator Coltart on the vital theme: “Where’s the money going to come from?” The Minister gave frank and illuminating responses across a range of key funding issues.

The final afternoon provided the forum for a series of market place sessions, enabling delegates to meet one-on-one with the Senator and his ministry representatives in order to cement relationships and lay the foundations for follow-up activities.

The conference closed on a note of measured optimism.  Despite the challenges involved, first steps were identified and connections with potential partners were made, paving the way for further action.

The conference was generously supported by the Commonwealth Foundation and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP.

A summary report of the London conference can be found here and a summary of the working group sessions here. A list of attendees at the London conference can be found here.

View Highlights of Coltart's Conference Address

Full video coverage of both days of the conference can be seen here.

David Coltart in the Press

In the week preceding the conference Senator Coltart attended a packed diary of media appointments. Interviews focussed on all areas of his portfolio – Education, Sport, Arts and Culture – as well as the broader political situation in Zimbabwe. Follow the links below for further information:

David Coltart on BBC World Service News: Examining the relationship between the coalition parties

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8844000/8844165.stm

David Coltart on the BBC Today Programme: Zimbabwe 'evolving' towards democracy

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8844000/8844446.stm

David Coltart on BBC Hard Talk

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00t6fnz/HARDtalk_David_Coltart_Zimbabwean_cabinet_minister/

David Coltart speaks at Westminster
http://www.cecomm.org.uk/details.php?id=91