adminLESSONS were disrupted at St Augustine’s Mission School in Penhalonga this week after the Anglican Diocese of Manicaland sent away scores of students over fees arrears in stark defiance of a Government directive that bars such action.
Mutare’s central business district was on Monday and Tuesday littered with uniform-wearing students who were looking for transport to go home.
As the drama unfolded, officials at the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education held an ad-hoc meeting to resolve the situation as some of the students were chased away for arrears as little as $4.
The Anglican Church, which is the responsible authority at the school, took it upon itself to chase away the students after the administration and the School Development Association distanced themselves saying such action was illegal.
Acting Provincial Education Director Mr Andrew Chigumira said the church was acting illegally.
He said the ministry does not expect a Christian organisation to act in the way it did, saying the move was not only outside the law but does not show a human face.
“We were surprised by the move which is very unfortunate. No one is allowed to send pupils home over fees. What the church did is illegal and we don’t expect that from people who are supposed to care for others. As we speak, I have instructed the responsible district education officer to ensure that all the pupils are back at school and that message has since been passed on to the headmaster and the SDA.
“We shall engage the church and remind it of what the law says and how they should claim arrears from parents. As a ministry we don’t want students to be disturbed in their studies over fees. Our duty is to ensure smooth learning and not this fiasco we are witnessing,” he said.
However, the diocesan secretary, one Mrs Chinguno, defended the move saying parents owed the school $180 000 in unpaid fees.
She said people who were rushing to the Press were not telling the truth.
“What is happening is that there is a crisis at the school. Junior workers have gone for days without receiving salaries yet the big guys like the bursar are paying themselves on time. SDA members are getting hefty allowances each time they sit meetings and some of the meetings only last for an hour. As the responsible authority we want to see workers getting paid because they are doing their job. We held a meeting with the administration over the issue and they said that they are being owed $180 000 in unpaid fees. Schools are about to close and there are pupils who have not paid. Those in arrears must pay up because their children are eating food bought by others which is not fair,” she said.
Disgruntled parents who telephoned this paper said the church was acting above the law.
“I paid the fees in full, but the $39 they have sent away my child over concerns a tracksuit that was taken just two weeks ago. What pains us is that we were at the school over the weekend and these guys just ambushed us like that?” said a parent who requested anonymity.
“It seems the ministry is a toothless dog when it comes to issues concerning the Anglican schools. We have complained in the past, but nothing is being done. At the moment we are appealing to President Mugabe to chip in and arrest this situation because we have had enough,” said another parent.
In March this year, SDA committees for Anglican schools in Manicaland were up in arms with the church over exorbitant levies demanded by the latter.
This followed after the church increased its levies from five to ten percent, totaling close to $50 000 the church demands to be paid by each school every term.
The ministry intervened then and said it was unfair for the responsible authority to increase the levies when Government has frozen any increments of levies charged by schools.
However, parents say the church is insisting that it needs the 10 percent.
“Each time we query their demands and cite the law, the church tells us that the schools are theirs and they do whatever they want. Headmasters are being victimised while SDA members are taken for granted.”
Online Reporter