Perpetua Murungweni
Susan Chikwanda from Zaka has applied for a declaratory in terms of section 14 of the High Court Act Chapter 07:06 that seek to change the decision of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary education and the announcement by ZIMSEC to subsidize examination fees for 2023.
In her application Chikwanda states that she is not financially stable and she is a mother to four children, the other two being Panashe Masingwini (17) and Honest Masingwini (14) are the ones sitting for public examinations November this year. Panashe is a form 4 student at a private college and Honest is in grade 7 at Munjanja Primary School.
“I am not gainfully employed and in order to finance my children’s education needs that includes school fees, uniforms, stationary and examination fees, I do piece jobs using my scotch cart. I carry water, firewood and also do menial jobs like cleaning so that l can get some resources and the resources are not enough and l sometimes end up having to borrow some money so that my
Chikwanda is claiming that the effect of this decision to subsidize examination fees for public schools and exclude private schools means that for Honest who is in grade 7, he will benefit from the subsidy whilst Panashe who is in form 4 will not benefit.
“My two children both come from the same home and are financed from the same less privileged and economically weak pocket. Besides that Honest is at a Government school and Panashe is at a private college there is nothing else that differentiates their economic and social status. Both my children eat from the same plate and are clothed for school from the same basket,” said Chikwanda.
Chikwanda said that Panashe is doing 8 subjects and the total examination fees required by ZIMSEC will be USD $ 190 and she does not afford that amount of money and she has to reduce the number of subjects for her child.
“I have had to choose that Panashe writes only 5 subjects which l understands are the mandatory minimum subjects required for an Ordinary level pass because I have not managed to raise USD $190 and I have had to borrow some money so that he writes 5 subjects which will cost me USD $ 120.
“If Panashe was going to benefit from the subsidy, l would have been paying USD $88.00 for all 8 subjects he is studying. If Panashe is to fail to succeed in one subject then he would have failed to achieve the minimum required to be considered to have acquired the mandatory Ordinary level pass in Zimbabwe’” said Chikwada.
She also claims that, that the money the Government is using to subsidize the examination fees is however coming from the same fescues that all citizens pay taxes, when benefits are being extended, and the government has also failed to provide a justifiable reason behind the different examination fees amounts between government schools and private schools..
“The Government has made a decision to benefit Honest by subsidizing his exam fee but have Panashe pay the full examination fee. Yet the money that the Government is using to subsidize the examination fees for candidates in public schools including mission schools is coming from the same fiscus that all citizens pay taxes into. When tax is collected there is no question asked regarding which school ones child attends.
“Government has also not provided the rationale behind this differentiation and l have tried to find a possible justifiable reason but l have failed. I have concluded that the differentiation amounts to unfair discrimination on perceived class and also on economic or social status.
“However, this is not a fair discrimination and cannot be justifiable in a free and democratic society which has the rule of law and constitutionalism as its tenets of justice. Such unfair discrimination inadvertently results in candidates like Panashe who are in private college’s right to education being affected,” added Chikwanda
In a circular dated 26 January 2023, the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council issued out finance circular number 3 of 2023. In the circular ZIMSEC stated that the fees for grade seven examinations for 2023 are USD $ 65 for all subjects. It further stated that Government would contribute USD $ 36 of the examination fee for candidates in public schools while parents and guardians will pay USD 29.00. The circular further stated that all candidates from private schools and colleges will meet the full cost of USD $ 65 as examination fees for the year.
In another circular dated 31 January 2023 ZIMSEC through finance circular number 1 of 2023, announced that Government will be subsidizing the 2023 Ordinary and Advanced level examinations fees for candidates in public schools, local authority schools and mission schools. The circular further stated that all candidates in private schools and colleges, including private candidates in public schools will pay the full cost of examination fees. The circular stated that candidates in public schools would pay 45% of the examination fees per subject and Government would pay 55% of the examination fees per subject.
