Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora continues to divide opinion. Considered a reformer on one side of the aisle, he is also seen – in almost equal measure – as an inept public official with a flair for controversy and the unconventional by his critics.

His recent explanation that hard-pressed parents can use livestock or labour in lieu of school fees has sent tongues wagging. A qualified communications expert, Dr Dokora has been caricatured as “Dr Dofora” by some, and hailed as a burst of positive energy by others.

On the issue of livestock and school fees, he told The Sunday Mail: “We are creating markets for our people so that they can sell whatever they have without prejudice. “The items they can sell range from tomatoes, chicken, goats and other livestock.

“We are actually talking to my Rural Development counterpart, Minister Abednigo Ncube, to ensure rural district councils play a leading role to attract buyers.

“These are the public-private partnerships that we are talking about. All those women who go to Harare or Bindura are looking for markets to sell their produce in order to raise their children’s tuition fees. “So, we are giving them the markets wherever they are.

“Most of the people who are criticising this noble initiative do not even have a chicken!” Innovations such as new learning areas, foreign languages, life orientation skills and continuous assessment for pupils are widely viewed as game-changers in a country whose education system has been described in some circles as “advanced, but too academic”.

While the jury is still out on Dr Dokora’s performance, Zimbabwe will have an entirely new education system come 2021.