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Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
All schools, public or private, must follow the academic calendar set by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education last week and Trust schools have not been exempted from using the official dates.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Mrs Tumisang Thabela yesterday said in a statement that private schools under the Association of Trust Schools’ proposals were not accepted.
Schools begin their phased re-opening on Monday starting with the three examinations classes, while the rest of the classes begin a week later.
The first term will then end on June 4, with the second term commencing on June 28 and ending on September 10. The third term will start on October 4 and end on December 17.
The trust schools had asked if they could use different dates as they had been carrying out lessons virtually since the beginning of the year.
These schools wanted their first term to end on March 31 and the second term to start on May 3. But their application has been rejected.
In the statement, Mrs Thabela said as the responsible authority she was empowered by the Education (Non-Governmental Schools) Regulations of 2005 to set the calendar for all schools.
“The Secretary has published the revised 2021 school calendar and has not allowed any school to deviate from it,” she said. “All schools are, therefore, expected to adhere to the 2021 school calendar announced by Government.
“All well-meaning public and private schools, including ATS schools, should therefore abide by the ministry’s 2021 calendar. Any deviation from the above will attract censorship with the sternest penalty being deregistration of the school.”
Meanwhile, Parliament will soon investigate the continued rise fees in private schools following concerns raised by legislators.
Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda yesterday directed that the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education investigate the matter within the next two weeks.
Yesterday, Norton legislator Mr Temba Mliswa raised concern that the fees being demanded by private schools, and also those that were demanding US dollars, were exorbitant and unjustified in the current circumstances.
He said schools were not operating at optimum levels, raising questions why the schools were demanding full fees.
Fees for most private schools range between US$3 000 and US$5 000 a term.
“It is a pertinent issue affecting pupils, parents and guardians, so I am, therefore, directing the Committee on Primary and Secondary Education to invite the Minister, the permanent secretary and heads of trust schools to come to parliament and justify these increases against the economic situation that has been so negative in light of Covid-19,” Advocate Mudenda said.
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