…government threatens to punish all offenders
By Beverly Bizeki
As schools opened for the first term of 2025, schools, parents, and the government are at crossroads over the payment of fees, as schools are sending learners away for nonpayment of fees against a government directive banning such.
Schools are saying the government owes schools a lot of money in Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) fees and is allowing the few who should pay to defy payment since they know learners will not be sent away.
On the other hand, the government is threatening to punish all schools sending learners away, saying the directive still stands despite schools’ operations being affected by a lack of financial resources.
There were several reports of schools sending learners away on opening day, and most schools in Masvingo town did send learners home, where some were seen crossing an overflowing Chimusana Bridge, risking their lives.
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) Communications Director Taungana Ndoro said the ministry was going to take action on schools not heeding the directive from the government and urged parents to report to district education offices if their children are sent home.
“We are acting on all names of schools submitted to us. Parents must report to district offices when they come across such scenarios,” said Ndoro.
Bikita District Schools Inspector (DSI) James Mahofa, however, said his office had not yet received any reports of schools sending pupils home to collect fees from his district.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Dr. Takavafira Zhou said there was a need for both school authorities and the ministry to find a way to reach common ground in collecting fees and also prioritize learning time for pupils.
“There is a need to strike a balance. As much as school heads must not send children home for fees, they should be allowed to give pupils letters to remind their parents to come to their respective schools and make school fees payment plans,” said Dr. Zhou.
School heads who spoke to TellZim said banning schools from sending learners away was detrimental to schools progressing, as parents were abusing the policy, ignoring their responsibilities.
“This policy was terribly thought out. It disrupts school operations in a very big way. My thinking is it was meant to blow a wedge between school administrations and parents. Many parents are taking advantage of the fact that they do not pay fees.
“In my case, only about two percent has paid their fees, and most of them do not visit the schools to make payment plans because they do not want to put it in writing. So there is no alternative to get parents to pay fees,” said one head.
Another school head said some politicians were using this policy in campaigning at rallies, further discouraging parents from taking fees payment as a matter of urgency.
“At the local level, politicians that are not pro-education end up talking about this in public places like rallies, which discourages parents from paying fees on time. Schools end up struggling with no financial resources to fund their operations,” said the head.
Another head said the directive worsened the situation for schools’ operations as the government owed schools huge amounts of fees for learners on BEAM.
“BEAM has not been coming for the past three years. BEAM is paid in local currency, and if we are to convert last year’s fees with the current rate, it might be equivalent to a dollar now, and that is nothing. In our case, about half of our children are in BEAM, so it is actually a thorn in the flesh.
“Schools are in a terrible situation. Last year we had 122 out of 350 learners in BEAM, and only about 50 percent paid up. The other half do not care about what happens,” said the head.
One parent said parents were willing to pay fees but, due to the economic situation, many were failing and supported the government’s directive over the matter but, however, called on the government to support the schools for smooth operations.
“We are keen to pay fees because we know they are the lifeblood of schools; however, many are failing because of the economic situation. So we thank the government for allowing learners to go to school even before they pay fees.
“But for schools to run smoothly, the government should intervene and support the schools through grants or paying BEAM fees on time,” said the parent.
The government has been at loggerheads with schools over BEAM arrears, prompting many school heads to demand that the government declare education free for all at once, as the model was crippling schools, especially those in rural areas.
