Dokora War Escalates – Churches Blocked from Renting School Classrooms

Zimeye

2 May 2016

Just when the nation is still battling to come to terms with Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Lazarus Dokora’s banning of Scripture Union in schools, his Ministry has ordered Headmasters to cancel all rental contracts with churches.

Dokora has issued a directive to review all contracts with churches renting school buildings for their weekend services.

A leader of a church renting a classroom in a school in Bulawayo, narrated how they were shocked on Sunday when they arrived for their usual church-service, to be told by school authorities that the Ministry of education has sent a circular demanding all churches to be stopped from using government school properties.

The source said churches may only have access through new agreements signed and approved by Dokora himself through the Provincial Education Director’s office.
The church leader who asked to remain anonymous, “for now while consulting,” said the circular shown to them by the school authorities, states that the Headmasters can no longer enter into contracts on the leasing of government school properties directly with the churches. To get access they must apply through the Provincial Education Director.

To add salt to wounds, Dokora’s circular further emphasises that the hiring out of school buildings and properties is highly discouraged by the Ministry. The arrangement thus suggests that the churches’ applications to the Ministry will be automatically rejected.

In a follow up by ZimEye.com with other churches, three congregations using classrooms at another secondary school in Bulawayo said that they had similar experiences on the same day, Sunday.

The churches claim the authorities at the schools told them that they had been instructed to raise their rental from $50 a month to $360 per month with immediate effect. The churches also confirmed that they were also told to complete lease application forms that will be submitted to the Ministry of Education for approval before they could continue using the premises.

A pastor with one of the churches said that his congregation has been using the school buildings for their services for the last six years without a problem while they are raising funds to build their own church. He said that the increase of rent to $360 was “an indirect way of telling them off.”

The three churches said they will all not be able to afford new rentals and will so be leaving the school immediately for alternative venues.

“The schools were the best place for the churches as they are within the community. Now we don’t know where the poor communities are going to worship,” said one of the pastors.

A headmaster with one school in Bulawayo confirmed the Ministry’s move but attempted defending saying, “the arrangement to get Ministry approval for private persons to use government school premises has always been there but was relaxed along the way realising the needs of the communities,” he said.

“The Ministry has only invoked the same old arrangement and it’s unfortunate because the emphasis is that school premises should not be hired out and I don’t see any churches succeeding in getting authority to use the schools,” said the highly experienced headmaster.

Former Minister David Coltart banned political parties from holding political meetings at the schools only authorising community based initiatives like churches, weddings and community meetings to be allowed to use the properties.

Being a public holiday at the time of writing, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education authorities could not be found for a comment on the matter.