Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, [email protected]
BULAWAYO City Council is owed $9 billion in school fees arrears with concerns that parents and guardians who have been slacking in paying their dues may be sued according to Ministry of Education regulations.
Recent council minutes show that 31 council-run schools dotted around Bulawayo have an enrolment of 44 882 learners in total.
“During the third term last year, a total of $3 537 022 133 was paid for tuition and Council levies while $6 904 597 800 remained outstanding. Council did not receive any Basic Education Assistance Module funds as yet for 2023,” read a document from the Department of Education.
“Meanwhile, $1 664 697 633 is the outstanding balance for 2023 BEAM payments and Council is still very much concerned about the long list of school fees debtors. Both Council Officers and heads of schools constantly remind and urge parents to pay their dues and honour their promises.”
School fees for council schools range from US$10 to US$20 per term.
“Efforts are being made to have parents honour their obligations. In addition, all new learners fill in contract forms that tie down parents to honour payment plans as well as pay on or before schools open. Parents or guardians could be sued for their breaches as per Ministry regulations”
The contract to pay school fees according to a High Court ruling a few years ago, is between the school authorities and the parent.
What this entails is that in the event of the parent failing to meet his or her contractual obligation, the school authorities should take legal action against the defaulting parent.
The same council documents showed that the only secondary school run by the local authority had recorded an improved pass rate although a lot still needs to be done at Sizalendaba.
Sizalendaba Secondary School situated in Khami district has been for years the worst performing school in Bulawayo.
“The Director of Housing and Community Services reported that the City of Bulawayo had only one Secondary School Sizalendaba. The School offers 10 O-Level subjects. The results for September/November 2023 Ordinary Level examinations had been released by ZIMSEC and generally, schools performed much better than the previous year,” read the minutes.
“There were 23 learners who set for 5 subjects and above (nine males and 14 females). The overall pass rate was 17.39 percent up from 0 percent scored in 2022 and 2021. This was a positive development which the school should build from. This may be attributed to additional teachers that were deployed to the school. It was hoped that these teachers would stay a bit longer to cement the current goals.”
Physical Education had the highest pass rate (77,47 percent) followed by Ndebele at 45,45 percent and then English Literature – at 33,33 percent.
“There were no learners who had subjects including English and Maths. It was hoped that once the construction of the cottages was completed there would be stability in terms of teaching staff movements. This may translate to better results in the short to medium term. The school was applauded for its efforts to improve the learners’ performance.”
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