By Perpetua Murungweni
Masvingo City Council has passed a resolution to conduct inspection on the operations of all informal schools around the city in a move to control the sprouting of unregistered schools.
This was revealed in the Health, Housing and Environmental Services Committee minutes dated September 16, 2024 where council proposed to monitor and inspect all informal schools by conducting a joint operation with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).
The committee members were divided over the issue with some proposing for the regularization of the unregistered schools while others said they should be closed down.
“There is need to monitor and inspect all informal schools by conducting a joint operation between Council, MoPSE and, ZRP throughout the city to close down informal schools illegally operating in the City.
“Other members felt that all illegal informal schools should not be operating whilst other members felt that the illegal schools should be regularized and a proposal was made for more research on the permits and conditions that Council may allow to enable informal schools to operate,” read part of the minutes.
In August this year, Council turned down three request proposals for change-of-use of residential stands to private colleges on the basis that they did not meet the minimum required sizes for institutional stands.
Ward 10 councilor Sengerayi Manyanga, suggested that there was need to enforce the closing down of informal schools to make sure that those interested could get proper stands.
Ward 9 councilor Benard Muchokwa then suggested that council could crack down on illegal operators as there were unregistered schools already operating while council was doing nothing about it.
While unregistered private schools are sprouting in the city, with some lacking basic amenities like toilets, the city has been grappling with a growing population but shortage of both primary and secondary schools.
These private schools absorb some of the learners who are not in the formal learning system, with some operating only at night for fear of being closed down.
