The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Senior Reporter
THE Government has ruled out holiday lessons for non-examination classes, but has given the greenlight to schools to conduct vacation lessons for pupils that will sit for public examinations at the end of the year.
Examination classes are Grade 7, Form Four and Upper Sixth. A special dispensation has, however, been given to schools whose learning programmes were disturbed by floods early this year to conduct make-up lessons for all classes during the holidays.
In interview, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango said the Government policy allowed holiday lessons to be conducted only for examination classes. According to the policy, schools that intend to conduct holiday lessons are required to apply to the ministry beforehand. It could not be established, at the time of going to print, how many schools had sent their applications before schools closed. Schools closed on Thursday last week.
“Policy is very clear on that. Holiday lessons are for examination classes, if individual schools see it necessary.
Non-examination classes will not have holiday lessons,” she said.
Dr Utete-Masango said schools were not expected to charge exorbitant fees for the holiday lessons.
“The fees are almost regulated. It shouldn’t be anything over the top. The idea is for schools to meet expenses that come with running classes, not to make profit,” she said.
Dr Utete-Masango added that schools whose learning programmes were distrusted by floods will conduct lessons during the holiday to make up for lost time. She said provincial education directors in the affected provinces have since come up with learning programmes for the affected schools.
Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Midlands provinces were the hardest hit by floods early this year, with hundreds of pupils missing classes owing to flooded rivers.
“PEDs in the affected provinces have since come up with programmes for make-up lessons for the affected schools. The PEDs best know which schools were affected and how long they were affected. The PED in Matabeleland North has already made submissions for her province. I know Midlands was also affected and they should be working on something,” said Dr Utete -Masango.
Thousands of pupils in the three provinces missed classes due to the floods which also destroyed infrastructure, including schools in their areas. The Government requires more than $8 million to repair classroom blocks and other related infrastructure that was damaged across the country by the rains received from last year until early this month. President Mugabe declared the floods a state of disaster.
@irielyan
