Government recently reversed its decision to force all privately-run schools and crèches to cede 51% of their shareholding to locals under its controversial indigenisation policy.
Both Indigenisation and Education ministers Saviour Kasukuwere and David Coltart respectively confirmed the U-turn last night.
Coltart said he met Kasukuwere and they agreed to spare non-profit-making mission schools, religious institutions and community-owned schools from being compulsorily indigenised.
Kasukuwere had announced the move in a Government Gazette published last week, sparking protests from fellow government officials, parents and administrators of private schools.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said government had not sanctioned such a decision.
“Minister Kasukuwere and I agreed that mission, religious, church and community trust schools run not for profit will not be subject to indigenisation,†Coltart said in a statement last night.
“I am pleased to report that I had a very constructive discussion with Kasukuwere this evening regarding the notice recently issued.
“We are agreed that the rights contained in section 20(3) of the Constitution, namely the right of religious and other groups to set up and run schools, will be fully respected by Government.
“Accordingly all mission, church, religious, community and trust schools run not for profit will not be subject to any indeginisation policy.
“I hope that the agreement in this regard will settle all those parents, teachers, administrators and other interested in the education sector who feared that this critically important component of our education sector was going to be disrupted.
“I encourage all those who have been concerned this past week to stop worrying and to get on with the fine work they have been doing in delivering a quality education to tens of thousands of Zimbabwean children.â€
Contacted for comment, Kasukuwere downplayed the matter, saying the announcement had been misinterpreted.
“It was a question of misreading that caused the panic and we are on the same page with Coltart,†he said.
“If a school is run for profit then it’s a company that is subjected to the laws of the country but council run schools and church related institutions you can’t indigenise because they are for the community and already benefiting the community.
“Such schools were not on the notice and were never put there and I was also shocked where this was coming from.â€
The regulations gave foreign owned institutions across all sectors of the economy including banks a year to hand over their majority shareholding to locals as part of President Robert Mugabe’s empowerment crusade.