…fees hikes further depress guardians
Rutendo Chirume
Section 75 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe clearly mandates the government to ensure that every citizen; poor or rich, black or white, partly abled or not, female or male accesses affordable and quality education, but the country has been witnessing the privatization of education where only the elite and those who afford to pay hefty amounts in school fees are the ones who can access education while the financially impoverished bow out.
Section 5 of the Education Amendment Bill that seeks to promote compulsory education reads: “Every child shall be entitled to compulsory basic state funded education” while in compliment, Section 27 of the Constitution places the duty on the State to progressively fund basic education within the limits of resources available.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) says parents have the right to challenge any fees hike.
However this has not been working since the fees increase on an annual basis, a development which has left many struggling to pay fees against the soaring currency exchange rates and the economic situation in the country.
The 2020 Primary and Secondary Education strategic plan noted that approximately 27 percent of school-going children fail to attend school because they cannot afford fees.
The majority of pupils from secondary schools are dropping out of school with statistics revealing that in 2018 there was 30 percent less pupils which have dropped out from the previous year, 2020 registered 184, 249 pupils who sat for five and more subjects at Ordinary level while 163 179 wrote five subjects and above in 2021 a significant decrease in terms of numbers which has become a common feature on the Zimbabwean education landscape.
The right to affordable and basic education has been challenged and changed not mentioning the drastic decline in number of children who make it to Advanced level.
In an interview with TellZim News MoPSE Director of Communications and Advocacy Taungana Ndoro said fees are still affordable in Zimbabwe for basic education both in urban and rural areas and the drop of children registering for ‘O’ level can be attributed to other factors.
“Education is not for the elite alone, even marginalized persons can access quality, relevant, inclusive and affordable education in Zimbabwe. Plenty of schools about 80percent have very affordable fees and remember we have over 10000 schools in the country. There is nothing “drastic” about that considering the effects of Covid-19,” said Ndoro.
On average the approved boarding school fees range between ZW $75000 to $160000 which is a cause for concern to parents mostly civil servants whose salaries are way below the Poverty Datum Line (PDL) pegged at ZW $ 92 000 according to Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and generality of Zimbabweans with the bread basket of a family of five going beyond ZW $ 75 000.
A parent named Gloria Nyashanu raised her concerns and said if the situation continues, her children might be forced to drop out of school because so far she has sold most of the cattle she had to cater for her children’s school fees.
“Things are very tough in the country. I have four children with the last born in primary school, two in secondary and one is supposed to be going to university now but because of the situation, I have told her to look for something to do in the meantime while we finish with her siblings because I am failing to afford all their fees at once.
“We have been selling our cattle but the money is still not enough and I am afraid we might wipe out the whole herd. The most troubling thing is after we have struggled; our children will fail to secure jobs. The school fees are too much not to mention the examination fees which sometimes forces us to pay for only basic subjects which limits our children,” said Nyashanu.
Zimbabwe National Student Union (Zinasu) president Benon Ncube said government has turned a blind eye on the education sector and it has misplaced priorities considering what they have been doing nothing towards emancipation of learners.
“It is supposed to be a right than privilege and advantage to all children and students learning at government schools and institutions find themselves learning amid economic instability in the country because we expect them to charge fees in such a way that we will survive given salaries paid to our parents.
“Secondary examination fees have been increased three times and salaries have not been increased and a lot of parents are employed by government. How does the government expect them to pay that money? We are victims of exorbitant fees and an unstable economy, which means our education sector is in jeopardy,” said Ncube.
A circular that was shared on social media and attributed to Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec), Grade 7 examination candidates will pay $4 388 while the government will pay $5 362 giving a total of $9 750, Ordinary Level candidates will pay $1 620 while the government will pay $1 980 per subject giving a total of $3 600 meaning parents are supposed to be paying of total ZW$ 8 100 to register their children at least five subjects while Advanced Level candidates will pay $3 240 up from $1 080 per subject last year, and the government will pay $3 960 giving a total of $7 200.
Asked on what could have prompted the hike, Zimsec Public Relations and Communications manager Nicholette Dhlamini denied the existence of such a circular saying it did not originate from her organization.
“I have no idea of what you are talking about. I do not know anything about the flier because Zimsec has not released anything yet,” said Dhlamini.
Former Bulawayo Junior Mayoress Kimberly Malima expressed her concerns through this publication saying government has failed to fulfil its promises to learners and they have been dancing to the same beat.
“Our parents have been struggling year in and out without any resolutions. The truth is parents are struggling paying fees considering the low wages and the fact that most school children rely on our civil servant parents. This goes beyond finances because it disturbs the atmosphere at home and affect both parents and children emotionally,” she said.
Government has often been accused of neglecting the education sector through poor remuneration for teachers, introducing Continuous Assessment of Learning Activities (CALA) untimely while school and exam fees have been pegged at figures beyond their reach.
