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(HERALD) Pupils turned away over levies

Pupils turned away over levies
Herald Reporters

SOME schools in Harare are continuing to send pupils home over unpaid levies, defying a Government directive to sue parents who fail to pay. A survey conducted by The Herald yesterday showed that most schools were demanding both school fees and levies before pupils could be admitted into classes.

Parents with children at Widdecombe Primary School in Hatfield where pupils were sent away after failing to pay a levy of US$50 yesterday visited the school to confront the school authorities.

The parents urged Government to intervene as their children were being prejudiced of precious learning time.

"We are being told that our children cannot attend classes because they have not paid levies for this term. Imagine, I have two kids at the school, I have to pay US$100 for the levies alone. I am a civil servant currently earning that amount. Where do I get the remainder?" asked one irate parent.

When The Herald visited the school the school development association chairman was addressing teachers who were gathered outside but called off the meeting when The Herald team arrived.

The headmaster declined to comment, referring all questions to the SDA chairman, who insisted that parents should pay the levies before their children could be allowed back in class.

"All these parents have not paid any fees or levies since the beginning of the year. They should start paying now," he said.

He then referred this reporter to the Ministry of Education, Arts, Sport and Culture.

At Kambuzuma 1 High School students were sent home yesterday morning after failing to pay levies of US$56 for this term and US$96 for last term.

"We were told to go back home and collect levies before we can be allowed to attend classes," said a student at the school.

The deputy headmaster refused to comment and asked The Herald to return on Monday next week when the headmaster would be available.

The situation was the same at Kambuzuma 2 Secondary School, where students were sent away for failing to pay a levy of US$30.

"We were told to come back when we have raised the money," said one student at the school.

At Warren Park 1 High students claimed that they had been threatened with expulsion next week if they failed to pay the US$25 levy.

Highlands Primary School had asked parents to fork out US$120 in levies.

"We are being asked to pay US$120 in levies alone when the school does not provide our kids with the necessities they require.

"We buy (toilet) tissues for the children, even chalk," said one parent.

Education, Arts, Sport and Culture Minister David Coltart last week said no school should send away children over unpaid fees and levies.

"Schools should seek recourse from courts if parents fail to pay fees and levies," he said.
Cash-strapped parents in Chinyika
Resettlement Scheme in the Makoni North constituency of Manicaland province have appealed to Government to come to their rescue by reviewing the unorthodox "fee" payment methods being implemented by schools in the area.

Some parents with children at Chinhenga Primary and Tsikada secondary schools who spoke to The Herald recently alleged that primary schools were asking each child to pay $2 per month while secondary schools demanded no less than US$10.

Parents claimed that the money was used to pay teachers, and they were not aware whether teachers in the area were receiving the $100 monthly allowance stipulated by Government.

Parents who cannot afford to pay the fees are asked to contribute 5kg of maize (primary school) and 20kg (secondary schools), respectively.

This means that in a class of 45 students, school authorities collected $90 or 225kg of maize (primary); or $450 or 900kg of maize (secondary) per month.

Parents said their harvests were poor, and the barter deal was a threat to food security at household level.

Some parents said that they could not sustain this form of payment until the end of the second term.

Minister Coltart has said that there would be no fees in Government schools save for admission and levies charged by school development committees to help run schools.

In the interim, rural primary schools do not pay admission fees, while rural secondary schools pay $5.

When schools opened for the second term, Education, Arts, Sports and Culture Deputy Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora appealed to both school authorities and parents to ensure that monies charged by schools, including groceries and levies, are approved by the ministry. If not, then the schools would be acting unlawfully.

Labels: NEOLIBERALISM, SCHOOL FEES

posted by MrK @ 4:45 PM