adminTHE festive season is now over and school children will start classes next week.
This is the time of the year that brings headaches to most parents, especially those with children going for Grades 1 and 7 and those enrolled for Form One and Five places.
Shops that sell school uniforms, stationery and associated products were the busiest this week as parents rushed to prepare their children for school opening.
By Monday, those at boarding schools are supposed to be in their dormitories; while day scholars start business the following day.
Some civil servants who got bonuses this week were somewhat cushioned from the so-called January Disease phenomenon.
What is surprising and interesting is that for years, if not decades, parents know what the month of January has to offer in terms of financial constraints resulting from over spending during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
This January Disease phenomenon does not ambush people because we talk about it and know very well that our pockets will be dry when we badly need money to send children to school.
Our contemporary society, which has basically adopted a hand-to-mouth attitude, is playing host to a dangerous tradition of a reactionary approach to life. The popular saying is that “we will confront the problem when it occurs.”
This attitude has far-reaching consequences that affect our children’s education in the event that a parent is caught wrong footed as schools open.
It might be rather late to highlight and enlighten each other on the best way to go around this nagging yearly bankruptcy phenomenon, but the advice we share now might be helpful in the future.
Zimbabweans value their children’s education above everything merely because of the high literacy rate we have in the country.
This year was a bit tricky because most companies did not give their workers bonuses, save for civil servants and other green chip entities that are making brisk business.
Under normal circumstances, the clever ones pay fees in November as soon as they get paid their bonuses. With extra money they also buy uniforms and other accessories. Come January, they will be the happiest for they know that nothing will disturb their children’s education.
Those who do not plan ahead often find themselves in a fix. This is the time of the year parents sell household property and vehicles for a song in order to pay fees. They bore the brunt of failing to put their act together and save a few dollars to cushion themselves from the January Disease.
This is the time of the year when loan sharks make a killing and rip off desperate parents. They charge exorbitant interest rates on borrowed money and some of them get hold of title deeds to properties as collateral in the event of non-payment.
Those in the rural areas also fall prey to unscrupulous butchery owners and abattoirs who deliberately offer less money for livestock because they know well that parents are in desperate need for money to pay fees.
Basic economics will show that parents lose more by paying fees late in January because in their desperate situation they will be abused by those with cash. With the same token we are appealing to heads of schools to sober up and abide by the laws that govern the education fraternity when it comes to payment of fees.
We are not siding with parents who do not want to pay fees, but we are asking school heads to take the right measures in dealing with cases of pupils whose fees have not been paid.
Schools are not allowed to send away pupils home over fees, but they should seek recourse with the courts and sue parents, whom they signed contracts with and are now breaching by not paying fees.
Pupils are innocent souls who must not be disturbed in their studies.
Online Reporter