NewsDay
By Problem Masau
25 August 2012
Most boarding schools in the country have continued running entrances tests as money-making ventures despite government warnings.
Parents are complaining that the administrative costs charged by schools are exorbitant and the schools are inviting as many students as possible for a limited number of places.
Most schools are charging between $20 and $50 administration fees per child. The money covers the overtime they pay teachers to set, invigilate and mark the entrance tests and other administrative costs.
“The schools make us pay $20 as administration costs, but there is no guarantee that my child will secure the place so I end up taking them to as many schools as possible and in the process losing a lot of money,†said one parent in Harare.
There was outrage at Waddilove Boarding School when it became apparent that more than 800 children sat entrance exams for only 90 places.
“My child sat for four entrance examinations at different schools without success. The government should make it mandatory for schools to disclose in the media the number of children they would consider for Form One classes after the tests.
“The whole exercise has been turned into a scandalous fund raising activity by unscrupulous schools,†said another disappointed parent.
Schools often charge fees of between $20 and $50 per child to write the entrance test and an addition $5 or $10 for the entry form. The prospective students are also expected to bring their own materials for use in the entrance test.
“The fees would be justified if the children were provided with pens, pencils, food or other refreshments at the end of the tests. This is unfair and the government should intervene,†said Gift Samuriwo from Karoi.
Another parent, Emilia Guvheya, said the entrance tests have also rendered the Grade 7 examinations useless as they often do not count.
“There is no need for wasting tax-payer’s money marking the exams when the results are not being used to get a form one place for the child,†she said.
Early this year the government introduced a raft of measures to ensure mission and private boarding schools do not “fleece†parents and guardians through Form One entrance tests. The move was meant to protect parents and guardians against predatory practices by schools that invite an unlimited number of prospective applicants to compete for limited places, but schools have continued with the practice unabated.
The majority of private and mission schools are in the process of interviewing thousands of prospective candidates at different venues throughout the country.
There have been cases where a school with only places for 60 pupils would invite over 800 candidates to compete for the limited places and yet they would not be refunded if they fail to get places.
Education, Sports and Culture minister David Coltart recently said schools were now required to invite applicants not more than three times the number of places on offer.
He said all schools conducting entrance tests were required to do a pre-screening exercise before conducting the interviews to avoid taking money from pupils they would not offer places.
The measures are part of the new regulations the government has been crafting. Coltart said: “We have realised that the entrance interview system has been abused by most schools. The policy point of view states that schools should not exceed three applicants for every vacant place at a school.
“You cannot invite 2 000 applicants when you have 80 places. You will have diverted from the purpose of entrance tests to fundraising.â€
Coltart said that schools should set time frames to receive applications as there was no need to continue receiving applications when the required number of candidates has been exceeded by three.
“Because of the spirit of profiteering you will find that a lot of schools keep on accepting applications when they actually know that they have the required number,†he said.
Deputy Minister Lazarus Dokora said they were also pushing to have a refund policy so that parents whose children fail to secure places at the schools would get their money back.
“Every school is aware of the number of places it can offer and should shortlist candidates who qualify. It is unfair to just take people’s money without reimbursing them,†he said.
However, some pupils who get four units at Grade 7 and those whose parents can afford to pay authorities will still get the places without attending interviews.
The schools are caught in a dilemma because if they use an arbitrary method to cut the numbers, they are accused of favouritism and when they allow all who wish to participate in the entrance tests, they are accused of profiteering.
The problem is also rife at many teacher training colleges in the country where thousands of prospective trainees are invited for interviews after which only a few candidates are selected.
Some who do not even attend the interviews simply pay their way in.