The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
PRIVATE schools that are demanding school fees, including additional charges for examinations, are swindling parents and defying Government regulations, Zanu-PF Member of Parliament for Vungu, Hon Omega Sibanda has said.
Although schools around the country are closed due to Covid-19 regulations, private schools have continued demanding that parents pay “overheard fees”, which are quoted in both local and foreign currency.
In Gweru, Midlands Christian College (MCC) is demanding US$1 410 while Midlands Christian School (MCS) wants parents to fork out US$910. Parents of students at Treasure Trove (TT) in the same city have been asked to part with US$400. In Bulawayo, schools are reportedly demanding up to US$1 500 (paid in local currency at RBZ rate) or US$800 to US$1 000.
Speaking to Sunday News, Hon Sibanda said private schools were in open defiance of Government which had already stated that fees would be charged with its approval first.
“Private schools are trying at all costs to defy Government instruction by robbing parents of their hard earned cash during these times of Covid-19 lockdown. What we should agree on is that no business is making money as they used to before the pandemic. So, it then boggles the mind to find private schools that believe that people are making money. Where is the money supposed to come from when we are in lockdown because of this pandemic? Parents don’t have money. We are not making what we are supposed to,” Hon Sibanda said.
He said it was unfair for schools to burden parents with the upkeep of schools at a time when they were not using their facilities, adding that private schools, which are run along private business models, should have applied for Covid-19 relief funding from Government like other industries.
“Private schools are a business and they don’t offer voluntary service to parents. Those schools are not owned by parents and parents don’t even decide how much the staff gets paid. We have a problem with the issue of schools telling parents that they need money to take care of the school. It is not a parent’s school to take care of. We take children to these schools for them to get a service. That is what we pay for because our children would be using their facilities. In this case they are not, so what are we paying for? For example, if I have an account with a retail store, they cannot continue billing me because they have low business when I don’t owe them anything,” he said.
The Vungu legislator said it was unethical for private schools to allege that they were following directives from Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) as only Government could set educational policy in the country. In the United Kingdom and other European countries where the Cambridge syllabus is taught, instead of using exam marks, authorities are considering grading students using coursework.
“Some schools have forced parents to pay Cambridge exams fees even though the exams might not be held. Examination fees for each subject is 45 Pounds. Their excuse has been that Cambridge says that they must pay. It boggles the mind that they want to listen to Government on some issues and listen to Cambridge when it suits them. Who makes the regulations governing schools in the country? Is it not Government? Cambridge does not determine the school terms or systems in the country.
“As we speak, Cambridge has said it might use coursework for pupils’ marks. These are contestable and parents have a right to raise the issue if they feel like their child has been short-changed. In Zimbabwe, under Zimsec, online learning is not going to contribute to any final marks. My question is what is the money that we paid for exam fees going to be used for?
“They’re saying it is not refundable. Yet that money is not for the school and so why do they have a say in money that doesn’t belong to them? The money is for exams, not online learning. Parents have been told to pay US$20 for each examination paper that the child writes. That is apparently the money that will be paid to service providers to ferry the papers to the UK. Yet Cambridge are saying exams are unlikely, so what are parents paying for? This is just wrong.”
