adminPatrick Chitumba Senior Reporter
BULAWAYO and Harare schools will close today ahead of their December 4 initial closing date, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has confirmed.
Education Deputy Minister Paul Mavhima told the ZBC last night that schools in the two provinces would close early due to “special circumstances” which he did not mention.
However, Bulawayo provincial education officer Dan Moyo told Chronicle that only schools in Bulawayo urban would close today to facilitate the hosting of the African Union Sports Council Under-20 Region 5 Youth Games to be held from December 5 to 14.
The Games are scheduled to be officially launched by President Mugabe in Bulawayo on December 4.
Moyo said: “Yes, schools are closing tomorrow (today) but note that only schools in Bulawayo urban are affected by this development.”
He said the province was hosting the youth games and most teachers had volunteered to host delegates and participates.
Some 14 countries from the region are expected to participate in the games that include athletics, netball, swimming, basketball, football, tennis, boxing and judo.
Moyo said teachers would be taking the delegates and participants to and from the venues where the games would be played.
Meanwhile, school heads who spoke to Chronicle criticised the ministry for failing to advise them early about this development. They said they had only been notified about the closure yesterday.
“We haven’t done the reports and we’re closing tomorrow (today). It means pupils will go home without their reports,” said a school head.
Another school head said some schools have been forced to cancel prize-giving ceremonies which they had pencilled for Tuesday next week.
“We’re unfortunately not going to award pupils who performed well because we are closing early,” he said.
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