The Herald
2 December 2011
Parents have been meeting across Zimbabwe in recent weeks to consider proposals to increase the levies at many State schools and the fees at many mission and trust schools.
At most schools the majority of parents, usually a substantial majority, have been approving these proposals and they are now being forwarded to the Secretary of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture for approval or amendment.
Minister David Coltart, who has no say in the approval process, has expressed his support for the parents and schools seeking rises. He believes strongly that education has been grossly under-funded for more than a decade, with even much of the small sums budgeted for schools development this year simply not there for dispersal from the Treasury.
The minister sadly notes that either the schools continue to run down or parents fill the gaps. There is no other option.
Fortunately, the Education Act dating from the 1980s, with a few amendments a few years ago to sort out anomalies, ensures that parents basically have the final say in what they are prepared to pay.
Schools wanting to raise levies or fees have to call a meeting of parents for specifically this purpose, the school development association or board of governors, as appropriate, has to present the budget and the proposals and has to justify these to the parents.
And then parents decide by a vote. Although the majority binds all, very few association executives or boards desire a close vote, with most aiming for at least a two-thirds majority so that the final decision does reflect the views of an overwhelming majority.
The attendance sheets of parents, meeting minutes, amended budget and proposals, and voting figures are all then sent through to the Ministry which tends to accept parents have the right to choose their own levies and fees and, so long as all proper procedures have been followed and there are no anomalies, usually gives approval. We presume most attention is given to close votes, although these are rare, to ensure that the proposals are fair.
More schools these days are splitting their operational levies or fees from the capital levies, a welcome trend so that parents can see more precisely where their money goes and can make more useful suggestions in meetings.
Operational budgets tend to produce the most debate. More and more State schools are regularising the inducements for teachers through their SDAs, abandoning ad hoc arrangements of parents paying teachers directly.
This ensures that teachers do treat all in their class the same, since they have no idea of which parents still owe levies, a welcome move. Some non-government schools are having to cope with a pay award for support staff that was designed to raise the basic minimum, but which retained a complex inherited grading system designed for other circumstances.
So in many cases parents have to make tough choices. We, like the Minister, see little choice for parents. And the system does at least ensure that parents have to agree to the choices they make; these are not imposed.
Parents have to be involved in their children’s schools, and skipping crucial meetings means that they really cannot complain later. If they have something to say they need to say it at the meeting called for that purpose.
More and more parents are now learning how to budget for levies and fees, and how to manage their financial affairs so that the cash does appear regularly for these purposes.
This is presumably why “bonus madness” now seems to be confined to very young adults who have yet to even start worrying about what the pre-schools charge. Families and Zimbabwe both benefit from this parental investment in education.
We hope that most parents are, even at this time of year when money is a little easier, paying levies and fees now, rather than waiting for the last minute and, if they have a little left over are putting it aside for the rest of next year.
There has been a welcome rise in competition among retailers stocking school uniforms, and far more sources for these plus the stationery that most children seem to consume in quantity.
So parents need to shop around carefully when buying. Some schools are even placing wholesale orders so parents can cut costs there.It is unfortunate that despite the education ministry having easily the largest budget allocation, Zimbabwe cannot afford almost free schooling for all.
But Zimbabwe is a developing country and one of the very few in its income band that does have enough places so every child can attend school for at least 11 years. But that provision means that parents are going to have to supplement the State.