The Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa has received several complaints from concerned parents and citizens concerning how various primary schools in Kwekwe and Redcliff are still withholding grade 7 Zimsec results despite the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Professor Paul Mavima, having warned these schools on January 7 that this practice is illegal.
In as much as parents want to pay fees in full, the prevailing Zimbabwean economic situation does not permit them, therefore schools should not deprive a child the right to education, but should rather make a payment plan with the parents. Schools are empowered to take parents to civil court to enforce the payment of fees. Children should not be punished for their parents’ failure to pay fees.
Specific reports have been received against the following schools on how they are defying minister Mavhima’s directive to give pupils their results:
- Amaveni Primary School;
- St Martin Primary School;
- Kushinga Primary School; and
- Mafidhi Mnangagwa Primary School
Amaveni Primary School has refused to give grade 7 results to many children whilst St Martins Primary School has been withholding some children’s results since 2016.
Resultantly, the victims have failed to proceed to form 1.
This goes to show how schools continue to abuse their power, office and authority and defying the minister’s directive. The Kwekwe district representatives of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education defended these rogue schools saying that they received a directive to withhold the results from the Ministry’s Headquarters.
To this end, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Professor Paul Mavima should pronounce himself on whether he was deceiving parents and playing politics when he made the statement, which is being defied by many schools in Kwekwe and Redcliff. Action should be taken against such schools and their executives, to know that government meant business, it was not just talk.
Source: Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa
