adminWimbainashe Zhakata Mutare Correspondent—
NON-PAYMENT of fees and levies has remained a major challenge for most schools in Manicaland, a sitution that is compromising the province’s growing reputation in educational circles, a Government official has said.
Provincial education director for Manicaland Mr Edward Shumba said this at the provincial merit awards ceremony third edition held last Friday at Mutare Boys’ High School.
Mr Shumba urged parents to be responsible and pay school fees for their children to afford them a good education.
“Section 75 of our Constitution gives the child the right to education. No one should deprive the child of that right and I do agree with this in total,” he said
He further encouraged parents to be responsible for their children saying they needed to understand that as human beings there were certain things everyone was entitled to, and education was one of them.
“As a man or woman, you have the right to choose a spouse. You also have a right to have children. To this, you have an obligation to educate your children. Hence the school development committee (SDC) has an obligation to see to it that parents pay fees and levies for their children. In this way, we will be able to ensure quality education for the current and future generation of pupils.”
Mr Shumba highlighted that the province had been dogged by acts of misconduct by some teachers with cases of improper association and financial mismanagement also coming to the fore.
He said the province had, however, seen it fit to go on a massive staff development programme to improve teachers’ conduct and those with ears to hear would pay heed. More effort would, therefore, be spent on productive work, he added.
Information Communication Technology
The merits award celebrations were held under the theme “Sustaining the Updated Curriculum for Socio-Economic Transformation”.
Provincial head of Plan International Mr Stanley Dawa, who was the guest of honour at the awards ceremony, said: “The updated curriculum whose sustainability we are celebrating today deservedly aims to prepare learners for life and work in an indigenised economy and increasingly globalised and competitive environment. It ensures that learners demonstrate desirable literacy and numeracy skills including practical competencies necessary for life.”
He said the updated curriculum had great emphasis on information communication and technology (ICT) and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education was embracing internet connectivity programmes calculated to close the ICT gulf between urban and rural schools,” he said
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