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Conducting extra lessons especially for classes sitting public examinations has over the years assisted pupils to complete their syllabi. The decision by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to ban the extra lessons earlier this year therefore came as a surprise. What is comforting is that the Ministry has since reversed its decision and lifted the ban on extra lessons especially for classes sitting public examinations. This means that Grade Seven, Ordinary and Advanced level teachers are allowed to conduct extra lessons this coming school holidays to prepare their pupils for the November examinations.
The schools that want to conduct extra lessons during the school holidays are required to apply to the Ministry for permission. In a circular to schools last month, Education Secretary Constance Chigwamba said learning institutions should seek authorisation to resume extra lessons.
She said consideration for extra lessons will be given to classes sitting Grade Seven, O-level and A-level examinations as well as those compensating unforeseen loss of learning time. The banning of extra lessons caused a lot of confusion and many parents accused government of working against their children’s good performance in public examinations.
When it banned the extra lessons, government accused teachers of deliberately delaying to complete syllabi in order to justify holiday lessons and then fleece parents by making them pay for the extra lessons. The ministry said before banning the extra lessons, it asked school heads whether or not the school terms were long enough to cover the syllabus and the school heads said the time was adequate hence its decision to ban extra lessons.
What has come out clear is that the situation is different for each school given the fact that some schools have more resources than others.
In some cases, schools are facing a critical shortage of teachers and as a result such schools might find it difficult to cover the syllabus during the school term.
It is for this reason that the ministry has decided to lift the ban on extra lessons and asked schools to apply for authorisation explaining their particular circumstances. School heads have accused the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education of taking decisions without consulting widely and on the issue of extra lessons, the school heads are vindicated.
It cannot be disputed that had the ministry consulted widely, it would not have banned holiday lessons. We want to therefore implore the ministry to take seriously the issue of consulting widely before taking decisions to avoid causing confusion in the education sector. The other burning issue is the banning of teachers’ incentives. The ministry is again accused of not consulting widely before taking the decision.
According to teachers, some schools had incorporated incentives in the school fees and the pupils continue to pay such fees but the teachers are not being paid the incentives. The teachers’ morale is as a result at its lowest ebb. It cannot be denied that demoralised teachers cannot produce the best results.
We want to once again ask the ministry to re-visit the issue of teachers’ incentives given the fact that parents are prepared to hire private teachers that they are paying huge amounts to teach their children during weekends and during school holidays.
The teachers’ incentives were introduced after it was felt that government was failing to pay teachers salaries commensurate with their qualifications and government rushed to ban the incentives before meeting its part of the bargain which is to pay better salaries.
derick.khumalo