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Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
THE first term started on a high note in Manicaland, with Government closely monitoring schools to prevent the spread of cholera, while chaotic scenes were witnessed at St Faith’s High School in Rusape last week on Friday as there was an over enrolment of children.
Buhera, Chipinge and Mutare districts are the cholera hotspots in Manicaland, and schools are expected to implement sound hygienic practices to contain the disease.
Public health measures that need to be adhered to include availing hand-washing stations at all strategic points, provision of clean running water and physical distancing to minimise personal contact and hand-shaking.
Manicaland Provincial Education Director (PED), Mr Edward Shumba said the first term started very well, with the education authorities tightening screws by directing District Schools Inspectors (DSIs) to check teachers’ attendance so that those playing truancy will not be paid, while also ensuring the safety of learners from cholera.
He said the “no-work, no-pay principle” will be invoked on all those who fail to report for duty.
Mr Shumba, who did not mince his words as the teachers’ turn-out stood at 95 percent as the week progressed, argued that those who are yet to report for duty are doing a disservice to learners and their parents who are paying school fees through the nose.
“I have not received any adverse report on the whole situation, and generally schools opened well in Manicaland. Today (Wednesday), I am personally checking on effective teaching and learning on the ground. I have so far visited five schools in Chimanimani.
“I also came across the district team which had toured 13 schools, and everything was fine. From the reports that I got from our district offices and observations that I made on the ground, payment of school fees is going on well.
“I would like to thank parents for that attitude because that is what brings the better results we are looking for. I appeal to the rest of them to ensure that fees are paid so that effective teaching and learning takes place.
“I haven’t come across reports of schoolchildren being turned away for non-payment of fees. I have instructed school heads to sit down with parents and come up with payment plans. Parents must meet part of their bargain by paying school fees, while teachers do theirs, which is ensuring that teaching and learning takes place,” he said.
Zimbabwe Rural Teachers’ Union (ZRTU) president, Mr Martin Chaburumbunda said teachers resumed work without any incidences.
He urged Government to avail them the requisite tools to discharge their duties.
Zimbabwe School Development Association/Committees (ZSDA/C) general secretary, Mr Everisto Jongwe said teachers are in their classes delivering lessons.
But while everything pointed to a positive start, police were called in to ensure sanity at St Faith’s High School in Rusape last Friday as some parents that had escorted their children for Form One orientation became restless after it emerged that the Anglican Diocese of Manicaland had allegedly ran a parallel enrolment exercise and collected a mission fund of U$600 that the school was not enforcing, thereby making the enrolment numbers shoot through the roof.
St Faith’s High School, which takes pride in its high-flying passes, has traditionally limited its enrolment to about 130 learners per stream.
However, its 2024 Form One enrolment shot to 240 due to an alleged clandestine recruitment by the diocese — resultantly stretching everything at the school beyond limit — dormitories, classrooms, utensils, furniture, food and teaching staff.
The Form One learners are currently being accommodated in Form Five dormitories, and the school has between now and the end of February to sort the mess.
The parents were incensed when the orientation, which was pencilled for 11am, dragged on as the administration, School Development Committee (SDC) and the Responsible Authority (the church) haggled over the matter.
Hundreds of parents who had arrived at the school from 7am were locked outside the gate and were only attended to at 3pm after the arrival of the police and officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
St Faith’s head, Mr Arnold Makamba who sensed danger and rushed to Rusape Central Police Station to ask for help to avert an explosive situation refused to comment on the matter citing protocol.
PED Mr Shumba said the chaotic scenes may lead to the expulsion of some of the improperly enrolled learners from St Faith’s High.
He said Section 10 of the Education Act (Chapter 25:04) empowers the school head only to enrol learners.
“Somebody was over enthusiastic, and ended up doing what they are not supposed to do. According to Section 10 of the Education Act, enrolment is the responsibility of the school head.
“In our Handbook on the role of the school head, one of the duties that he/she cannot delegate is enrolment because you might find the school in this situation.
“Whoever was enrolling in a parallel manner created this problem, and my instructions are very clear — only the rightful person enrols the rightful learners and anything else must be solved outside the school,” he said.
Mr Shumba likened the chaos to a scenario where two brides emerge from different directions for a wedding ceremony.
“I have instructed the Makoni District Schools Inspector (DSI) to ensure that normalcy prevails at that school. I am waiting to see how they will accommodate the affected learners because somebody acted irresponsibly by doing what they weren’t supposed to do,” he said.
Mr Shumba said if the school improvises on infrastructure to accommodate the learners, he is keen to facilitate for additional teachers from the relevant authorities.
“But if we have no classrooms and dormitories, where do we accommodate the learners in this rainy season? If they have all these in place, an application will have to be made and forwarded to the relevant authorities to ensure that everybody has access to quality, inclusive and holistic education,” he said.
However, Anglican diocesan registrar, Mr Ashel Mutungura refuted the allegations, saying there was no parallel recruitment exercise.
He said the diocese does not interfere in the running of the school.
“There is nothing like that, as we speak all Form Ones are in their dormitories. If there was a problem with all Anglican schools then you could say what are you doing? This has to do with the SDC and its cahoots involved in the enrolment.
“If learners were enrolled and paid their fees, that should tell you who was enrolling them. It is the head, so there can never be parallel enrolment. We leave the enrolment to the school administration because we do not run schools.
“The diocese will never recruit learners, and it never recruited anyone. We have seven other boarding schools, including St David Bonda Girls’ High and St Augustine’s High, which are some of our big schools, and they have no problems. Why St Faith’s High only? It has to do with the individuals involved,” he said.
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