The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
PUBLIC and private schools that have started increasing third term fees are doing that illegally as extensive consultations with parents and approval by the Government need to be done first before any review is made, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Parents have been advised to appeal unilateral school decisions to raise fees with immediate effect while defiant schools will be sanctioned. This comes amid revelations that some schools have started sending out school fees circulars that have not been approved by the Government.
The Government is also dealing with the insistence of payment of fees arrears before registration for public examinations which may result in some candidates missing the examination deadline.
Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu said all fees reviews have to be approved by her ministry before being sent out to parents. She said private schools that were increasing fees and charging levies without consulting parents or getting permission from the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, were going to be punished.
“School fees is only reviewed with the approval of the Permanent Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education after wide consultations with the parents through School Development Committees.
“We have a situation where school heads were becoming a law unto themselves and that is unacceptable and has to stop. Parents have to be consulted and approvals have to be made by the ministry before circulars are sent out,” said Dr Ndlovu.
The Minister said if due processes of increasing school fees were not followed then the increase will be deemed illegal and parents must not pay.
“It’s a challenge, schools are acting unilaterally but parents have to appeal to us so that we stop the process. Breaking the law or policies will not be tolerated, our people should always know their rights. An appeal process should be followed to protect our citizens, children, included,” she said.
“The Ministry therefore warns all responsible authorities to ensure they charge appropriate fees and levies. Section 21 of the Education Act Chapter 25.04 as amended provides that no responsible authority shall charge any fee or levy; increase any fee or levy in respect of any pupil attending a non-government school unless the fee or levy or increase therein, as the case may be, has been approved by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
“The Permanent Secretary shall not approve any increase of fees or levies sought in respect of the next term of the non-government school concerned unless the increase of such fees or levies are justified by reference to some basic other than the application of the Consumer Price Index; the proposal to increase fees or levies has been approved by the majority of the parents at a meeting of the school parents’ assembly attended by not less than 20 percent of the parents,” reads the Education Act.
The Act further highlights that it is criminal as provided for in terms of Section 21(6) for any person to contravene this section or fails to comply with any notice in terms of Subsection 5 and anyone who contravenes the Act shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine equivalent to the excess amount charged or imprisonment for a period not less than three months or both such fine or such imprisonment.
Dr Ndlovu urged school authorities to follow proper procedures, adding that schools that had charged unapproved fees or levies should revert to the approved fees and levies and reimburse parents accordingly.
On the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) which is meant to relieve vulnerable children, it was highlighted to Parliament that there were problems in disbursement of fees to which the Minister said disbursement was dependent on the availability of funds from Treasury. -@NyembeziMu
