The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Sunday News Reporter
“THE worrisome nexus between a surge in car ownership by most households and the motor vehicle mishaps caused by unlicensed drivers in Zimbabwe could be effectively solved by providing comprehensive, easy and fun compulsory driving lessons at secondary schools and higher institutions of learning.”
These were the words of local diva and traffic safety ambassador, Sandra Ndebele in encouraging driving lessons to also be included in the country’s education curriculum. In her thinking there was a need to instill the culture of driving within our kids at an early age so as to avoid the large numbers of unlicensed drivers, who then go on to cause road accidents.
Premier High School has set the ball rolling in this regard as the school’s qualified driving instructors with modern e-learning modules now offer theory driving lessons to its students and teachers.
The Vehicle Inspection Department in collaboration with the school conducted a convenient debut outreach theory driving examination session to the school’s pioneer driving lessons candidates during the April vacation school at Premier High School.
The pioneer class, comprised teachers and mainly Form 4, 5 and 6 students attained a 100 percent pass rate and are now proud holders of certificates of provisional driving licences.
All candidates went through rigorous oral driving lessons daily from 1-2pm for two weeks. The driving instructors provided driving theory test and videos and candidates had the opportunity to self-assess themselves after undergoing time-based tests. They finally sat for the driving examination in April administered by the Vehicle Inspection Department officials at the school premises. For the driving examination registration, candidates paid $20,00 each per session.
The school is contemplating purchasing vehicles for purposes of establishing a driving school for practical driving lessons for its candidates.
Stanford Mutsinze, one of the successful candidates said, “I am so happy that I made it, as pioneer candidates, we have been facing discouraging remarks from some of our fellow students who felt the $20,00 fee for the Vehicle Inspection Department was expensive for a short examination session. The risk of failure dissuaded some risk-averse students. To me it was a sacrifice worth undertaking and soon I will have appropriate driving skills and documentation. The lessons and examinations were presented in a pleasant manner at a familiar environment. I shall live to cherish this experience for a very long time.”
Ms Lillian Nkomo, the senior teacher and one of the successful candidates said, “It’s a great achievement. At the moment, I am preoccupied with school fees for my children as well as my university studies. The prospect of owning my personal car is a bit remote but after prudent consideration, I decided to get a licence so that when I get my dream car it’ll be as easy as turning on the car keys and driving off. I have inspired many fellow unlicensed drivers who are currently doing their oral driving lessons and are impatient to attend the next examination sitting at school. As for our successful scholars they are now equipped with essential life skills that are bound to come in handy in our economy characterised by high unemployment. Our new curriculum prescribes that we foster in our learners life skills such as driving and ICT so that they can cope with various socio-economic demands of life after school”.
In Zimbabwe, the acquisition of a driving licence is generally considered to be a daunting task considering the financial cost and the requisite procedures expected from relevant authorities.
Zimbabwe transport authorities are currently seized with the review and enhancement of procedures related to acquisition of driver’s licences.The Ministry of Transport is currently mulling the idea of marking oral driving examinations electronical. If the initiative is well-researched and developed, Zimbabwe apparently, could soon adopt online theory driving lessons.
Some critics have suggested that practical driving examinations procedures should be modularised than to be a one-off assessment. Pointing out that if a learner driver passes say the aspect of manoeuvring the car between drums but fails the hill start; the passed component should be captured and upheld in the transcript of the learner driver.
The learner should be subjected to future assessment on failed component(s)such as the hill start until they complete the full driving course. Whether these suggestions are going to contribute positively or not to the convenience of acquiring a driver’s licence in the country remains a pure conjecture.
Given this hindsight, Premier High School’s paradigm shift in matters pertaining to acquisition of driver’s licences to its scholars and staffers is commendable and should be intensively rolled out countrywide by relevant authorities. The school’s initiative resonates well with its motto “behold, a great light beckons”.
