The Sunday News
Nozibelo Maphosa, Sunday News Reporter
A PASTOR from Pumula South suburb has established an illegal backyard primary school at his home with an enrolment of more than 60 children that he teaches from Grade One to Grade Seven amid health and curriculum concerns from stakeholders in the education sector.
Pastor Isaac Charamba has been offering teaching services to more than 60 children per year since he started the school in 2009. Classes are conducted from a room at a house in Habek, Pumula South that he is renting for $25. The story of the school has drawn the ire of the acting provincial education director for Bulawayo, Mrs Olicah Kaira who said they were going to make sure the illegal school was closed.
“I did not know there was something like that in Pumula which people refer to as a school. That is illegal and unacceptable. Schools are now offering non-formal classes and people can register with those schools instead of attending informal and unregistered backyard schools.
“If he wants to help people as he claims, he should partner with the education ministry and register in a procedural manner like every other law-abiding citizen. These are the people who mislead the community. There are many laws which he is breaking, like exposing these children to health hazards. We are worried with the sprouting of illegal schools in the city,” she said.
The pastor who seems to be ignorant of the illegality, speaks glowingly of his growing school. He said he started the school to help underprivileged children who didn’t have enough resources to go to formal schools. He said he had been teaching the children with the help of his wife although both do not have teaching qualifications.
“When I first started this programme, it was just a small thing. My aim was to help children from my church who could not read the Bible, however, I later on grew into it when I realised so many children had this problem. I thus started running a school eight years ago which is named after my church, Rivers of Living Waters Ministry,” said Pastor Charamba.
The acting PED, however, said the ministry was not moved by the number of years he had been operating the illegal school.
“We are not worried by the number of years he had been operating. We are going to send a team to investigate and close the school. Whether he is making profit or not we are not worried, the school remains illegal,” said Mrs Kaira.
The pastor said his school enrols children who do not have birth certificates, orphans, those who do not have money to go to formal schools and children who come from rural areas and have been denied places in formal schools.
Pastor Charamba said his school produces “A’’ students who pass with bright colours when they enrol in formal schools.
“When these children are leaving my school, after getting all the requirements to go to a proper school, I write a letter of recommendation to the school and they continue with their studies although sometimes I face challenges with some schools refusing to accept them,” he said.
“My wife and I love children, and that’s why we are teaching them. This term I enrolled a 14-year-old into Grade One, when he came here he did not know how to write his name,” he said.
He said he was appealing to well wishers to pay fees for children who do not have money to enrol into formal schools. “My wish is to ask organisations who are able, to pay fees for these children at formal schools so that they get proper education they deserve. It would also be nice if we get a bigger space to teach them from and get a sponsor to buy us stationery,” he said.
