CLAIM: The government plans to rename Government schools, including dropping colonial names
SOURCE: Social media posts
VERDICT: False. A list being circulated of ‘proposed’ new school names is almost 20 years old
A list widely circulating on social media in Zimbabwe claims to show that the government plans to change the names of government schools in Harare. According to the posts, schools such as Prince Edward and Churchill would have new names.
One online post reported: “Imagine the prestigious Prince Edward, which over the years has received perks based on its name will have to settle for ‘Murenga Boys’”.
On social media, the claims ignited some outrage. However, the list being circulated is not new.
It is from 2002, when the then Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, Aneas Chigwedere, made the proposal. Arguing that schools should shed colonial names, Chigwedere had given schools an ultimatum to come up with new names. When the schools did not do so, he released a list of his own proposed names. There was a public outcry against the proposal; some schools said it would be a costly change, others said it was an attempt to change history, while some schools said changing names would cut off funding from private well-wishers, especially old students.
Chigwedere shelved the proposal.
However, it is Chigwedere’s list that is circulating again, almost 20 years later, now accompanied by false claims that it is a new proposal. According to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, there are no such current plans.
CONCLUSION
An image circulating on social media claiming to show a list of proposed new names for government schools in Harare is not new. It is from 2002, when a proposal to change school names was shelved.
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