By Beverly Bizeki
Months of tension that was brewing at Victoria Primary School between the School Development Committee (SDC) and the school administration was finally brought to an end following the dissolution of the committee and election of a new one at the school Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on March 26, 2024.
The two parties were divided over several issues including the refusal by the SDC to conduct the AGM on March 26 citing that conditions that had been set for the holding of the meeting had not been met yet as well as the unavailability of some committee members on the given date.
On the other hand, the administration pushed for the meeting to be held on that date stating that the tenure of the committee had expired and they could not postpone the meeting once again with the new SDC expected to go for training by the parent ministry.
In a circular that made rounds on social media platforms before the meeting, the SDC cited that the AGM had to be postponed to a later date in April for the full committee to be present at the meeting as most of the members were said to be unable to attend due to various reasons.
“We understand the importance of the AGM and the role it plays in the governance of our school. However, we also recognize that many of our members are unable to attend on the originally scheduled date. We believe that it is essential to have as many members present as possible to ensure a productive and inclusive meeting and as we align to the law that governs the school,” read the circular.
The committee also noted in the same document that the meeting could not be held because the conditions set for the meeting to be done had not been met since one of the suppliers of materials for the construction of a classroom block at the school had not yet delivered the rest of the materials paid for.
“It is important to note that at our last meeting, we also agreed to do the meeting when one supplier supplied all the materials he was paid for in November 2023 which include 20,000 bricks and 130 bags of cement. The SDC also agreed to make sure the swimming pool is working that was also paid for last year,” read part of the circular.
Addressing parents on a WhatsApp group the chairperson Nesbert Mareverwa indicated that he would not attend the meeting and that the admin could go ahead with the meeting if they insisted.
“We are four members on the side of parents in the SDC and we all agreed to postpone tomorrow’s date owing to circumstances which include those in the above document. Why should we hurriedly want to do the AGM when the law says it can be done by the month of April every year?
“We have parental authority invested in us and if the other authority thinks otherwise then they should proceed with the meeting in our absence whereby the presence of ex officio will be noted. We will not be present tomorrow for there is more beyond the naked eye,” said Mareverwa.
However, the meeting went on to take place and the now former vice chairperson of the committee Nyaradzo Shumba told the gathering that as the committee, they had issues because the supplier had received payment but had not delivered so they needed to get a written agreement from the supplier or have him deliver before handing over the reins to the new team.
“We refused to conduct the meeting in February because we have a supplier who was paid US$ 8,000 to supply the said materials yet the rule states that the supplier is supposed to deliver first then get paid and we only learned that the supplier was paid.
“Upon asking, the head referred us to the clerk and we wondered how someone got paid without the head knowing the clerk does not sit in the SDC full committee. Upon that, we communicated with the head that we needed to see the supplier to tell us what was stopping him from supplying 5 months down the line or communicating directly to us because development is for the SDC.
“The supplier was called and came where he responded that he does not answer to the SDC but to the head then we said if we do not get a written agreement because this is the money we need to present to the parents what we did with it. The building which was supposed to be constructed was supposed to be at window level by now but that has not happened because of the delays by the suppliers,” said Shumba.
Speaking at the AGM, school head Dr. Rameck Mashuro said the meeting had to be done on the 26th because the tenure of the committee had expired and the new committee was supposed to go for a training of SDCs by the Ministry of Education hence the school had gotten a nod from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) to proceed with the meeting.
Responding to the supplier issue and questions by some of the parents on why some committee members were not present at the meeting to read the minutes and their reports, Mashuro said the supplier had notified the school that he would deliver the materials in batches.
“The supplier notified us that he had been attacked by robbers who took away money and a car from him which is why he said he will deliver the materials in batches of which he is already doing that.
The District Schools Inspector said we can go ahead with the meeting as the chairperson said he is no longer interested in matters to do with the school, there is a leadership gap within the SDC hence in that case the head is allowed to chair the meeting. The meeting was long overdue because the SDC postponed the first date in February when their tenure expired,” said Dr Mashuro.
Due to the ongoing clashes, the financial statements presented during the meeting were only signed by the head who assured the parents that results from the audit to be done in days to come will be available to them and they would get the clarity they seek in terms of the statements.
The school selected new committee members whose names were yet to be finalized at the time of reporting as the members still have to check whether their accounts are paid up as part of the conditions for being in the SDC.
