The Chronicle
10 September 2012
SCHOOLS have demanded that parents should pay full fees and levies before their children could be admitted into class.
Schools are opening today for the third term.
This has left some parents with children at boarding schools literally running around looking for money after their children were barred from boarding school buses.
Parents said schools were demanding that they pay the full fees and those who had not paid could not board school buses, which were loading children at different points in Bulawayo.
Responding to concerns raised by parents with children attending school at Matopo High School in Matobo, Sacred Heart in Esigodini and David Livingstone in Ntabazinduna that schools were demanding 100 percent payment of fees upfront, a Chronicle news crew visited different pick up points in Bulawayo where some pupils were left stranded.
At Lobengula Street, popularly known as Hamara, a number of pupils from Matopo High School were stranded after they were stopped from boarding the buses.
Their parents said they received letters from the school advising them of the development.
“Surely we wonder how they think we would be able to raise all that money at once. It is not that we do not want to pay but all we are saying is can we pay in instalments. We feel the schools should allow us to make payment plans than to bar children from going to school,†said a parent with a child who learns at Matopo High School.
A document shown to Chronicle and sent by authorities stated that no pupil would be allowed into class unless they paid fees in full.
Pupils pay $420 school fees and levy per term.
Teachers were vetting pupils before they boarded buses and those with outstanding fees or without receipts were being denied entry.
A pupil from the school almost shed tears when her luggage was offloaded from the bus because her mother had not arrived to pay the outstanding fees. She said she had paid $270 and owed the school $150 for this term.
Some parents who had paid bus fare at the school offices at Matopo Book Centre later went to re-claim it after their children failed to go to school.
“This is not fair, I am going to get my transport money back, because now I have to look for the remainder of the fees. My child owes $50 but these teachers are being arrogant. I think there is a need for us to talk about this when we go for meetings. I think we should mobilise ourselves as parents and go to the meetings to challenge this,†said a parent.
A pupil from Cyrene High School in Figtree was stopped from boarding the bus because he had forgotten receipts at home.
“I fully paid fees and my teachers have instructed me to go back home and collect the invoices which could have been sent to the school before the end of the day,†said the pupil who preferred anonymity.
A group of Form Four pupils from David Livingstone said they were sent back home after finishing holiday lessons as the school authorities told them they could not continue in class before paying this term’s fees in full.
Some schools are reportedly demanding that parents clear last term fees before they pay full amounts for this term.
“We received SMSes from the school recently that our children should not bother going to school if they have not paid full amounts. Our fear now is that our children would be removed from the register because schools are now against a child missing lessons for five consecutive days,†said a parent whose child is doing Grade Four at Milton Junior in Bulawayo.
An official from Maranatha Adventist High School in Nketa confirmed that they had sent text messages advising parents of the latest developments.
“Pupils will not be allowed into class. We sent SMSes to parents that they should get clearance on last term fees and part of payment for this term’s fees,†said the official.
Contacted for comment, the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart said there was no specific Government policy on the individual schools because some were private.
“Policies vary between schools and most of the schools doing that are privately owned boarding schools and Government’s interference is limited. You would find that schools require funds to operate and because of the environment we are in, their only source of money are parents. The problem is when they start demanding full payment upfront which would infringe on the right of the child to access education,†said Minister Coltart.
He contended there was no easy solution to the issue, but said Government was trying to come up with measures to make sure schools do not overcharge parents.
“The $5 million that was allocated to the ministry by Treasury to cover non-salary expenses is too little and as long as that situation remains there is going to be a problem. Schools cannot be allowed to collapse but at the same time we would want to urge parents to make education a priority and pay fees on time or make payment plans with the schools,†said Minister Coltart.
He also appealed to school authorities to open up for parents to negotiate to avoid children being sent home.