Govt, BCC conclude schools deal

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
THE Government and the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) have reached common ground over the issue of council schools in a move that will see critical staff continuing on the municipality’s payroll.

The BCC will adopt the model used at Government schools that will see school development committees (SDCs) paying salaries for general workers.

Late last year, the BCC announced plans to hand over the running of its 29 primary and one secondary school to SDCs as part of measures to cut costs.

The BCC said handing over schools to SDCs was necessitated by the Government’s insistence that the local authority maintains a 70:30 percent service delivery to salaries ratio.

Earlier this month, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango, rejected the bid to hand over schools to parents saying it was against the country’s education policy.

However, the Education Ministry of Primary and BCC have reached common ground.

The Bulawayo Provincial Education Director (PED), Mr Dan Moyo, said the council was adopting a model used in Government run schools.

“The council wants to take a model that is used in Government schools. In Government schools we have a School Development Association. The general workers in Government schools are paid by the SDA but key workers like the bursar, office orderly and school clerk are paid by Government. That is what the city council intends to do,” he said.

BCC Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube said council was not re-inventing the wheel.

“We are not starting a new process but following on what the Government has done to its schools. We were then advised that in certain areas give away control to parents. We wanted to withdraw bursars but we were told that we could not. In most of the issues we are in agreement. We met about two weeks ago with the Bulawayo PED who informed us what to do and what not to do,” said Mr Dube.

He said non-critical staff members such as general hands would be employed by SDCs.

Mr Dube said council was not going to neglect schools after the adoption of the new arrangement.

“The schools remain ours. We are going to manage them but from a distance. We will be coming maybe to do audits. We are going to allow them to do their business without making reference to us. They should have their own accounts, do their things independently. Depending on council creates a bureaucracy for nothing,” he said.

Mr Dube said residents have shown interest in running their schools’ affairs.

@nqotshili