School authorities who chase children away over non-payment of fees will be penalised, the primary and secondary education ministry has warned.
The Deputy Minister, Edgar Moyo, made these remarks while addressing Parliament, Wednesday.
This was in response to questions by Kadoma Central and Gokwe legislators, on learners who are chased away from school for non-payment of fees.
“Is there a government policy that deters schools from turning away students? Just this week when schools opened, some students were turned away on the very first day. Are there penalties to deal with those schools that defy Government policy?” inquired Gokwe MP, Tonderayi Moyo.
Deputy Minister Moyo explained that schools are not allowed to send away learners.
He said the contract of school fees payment is between the school and the parents and not the learners.
“Where schools are sending away children who have not paid fees, there are penalties. The penalty is a charge that is attracted by that action. As I speak, yesterday we got information that some schools here in Harare sent away children who had not paid fees and this morning our officers were in those schools where we expect charges to be preferred against the culprits,” he said.
“That policy is given to all schools and as I speak, last week before schools open, we reissued these circulars where we find we are always having problems with schools so that we try and correct this situation. We have also encouraged our PEDs. There is a circular, this morning we were having a round robin with professional institution directors on the same issue so that they send out teams to schools to curb this malpractice by school heads.”
Kadoma Central MP further noted that the conduct of some school authorities portrays they are either unaware of this policy.
“My supplementary question to the Hon. Minister is that this issue of turning away students and pupils is rampant across the country. It seems as if the headmasters and school authorities are not aware of this policy. Is this policy in their offices or it is just at the Head Office, because if it was in the headmaster’s offices, I am sure they would really be adhering to this policy?” he said.
In response, deputy minister Moyo noted that there are legal provisions which speak to how the authorities would be dealt with.
“When I say charges, I am referring to disciplinary processes where we prefer a charge and say in terms of this section, you have committed an act of misconduct. The sections are in terms of Statutory Instrument 1 of 2000. I may not off hand, without the Statutory Instrument, refer to the specific clause of the Statutory Instrument,” Moyo clarified.
“If those cases are reported to us, we take corrective measures like I have already indicated – I may not name the schools in Harare where we sent officers this morning to go and interview the children, interview the teachers, the heads, with a view of preferring charges on those headmasters. So, we could be held by this House to send in information. Yesterday I received one Hon. Senator who brought that information and we sent people there and charges are already being preferred against that kind of head.”
