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Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
SOME schools in Bulawayo are defying a government directive to stop withholding results for students over outstanding fees.
The government has said that it is illegal to withhold children’s results over non-payment of fees but urged parents to come up with payment plans.
Mandwandwe, Mncumbatha, Nketa and Luveve high schools are among those that are withholding results for pupils.
At Luveve High School, former pupils are reportedly told to pay a $70 tuck shop fund fee before their results are released.
“Our children can’t collect their results because of the tuck shop fund. It was introduced late last year and we were against the idea. What’s the purpose of a tuck shop in this economy,” said a parent, Nelson Ndlovu.
The parents said they could not afford to raise examination and tuition fees and the tuck shop fund at the same time due to the economic challenges.
A school source said most parents whose children were doing Form 4 vowed not to pay the tuck shop fund.
The school head Getrude Ndlovu was not reachable for comment yesterday.
At Nketa High School, a parent said his child was denied his results over $4 he owed to the school.
“My child was sent away because he owes only $4. Honestly can my child’s future be ruined over such a small amount? At the moment I don’t have the money and they’re saying I can’t make a payment plan over such a petty amount,” said the parent who declined to be named.
Most of the heads referred questions to the district education officers.
Bulawayo Provincial Education Director, Dan Moyo said he had not received any report but reiterated the government position.
“The ministry was clear, no school must hold on to a child’s results. It’s a violation of a constitutional right. They’re not allowed to do so,” said Moyo.
A head who spoke on condition of anonymity said some parents were rushing to the media without approaching schools.
“Schools can’t release results when parents don’t make a payment plan. Some of the parents call pleading over the phone. We tell them that they must come and make arrangements in person,” said the head.
The head said although there was a ministerial directive, it was setting a wrong precedent in schools as most of them were losing both revenue and property such as textbooks.
“Schools are run on money. Besides other overheads such as electricity and stationery we still have our own school staff who’ve to be paid from levies which parents are refusing to pay.
“How are the schools going to be run without money?” asked the head.
“We’ve some pupils losing textbooks and we’re obliged to give them results on top of outstanding fees. It means we would be running schools without books”.
The school authority said they had on countless times engaged debt collectors but to no avail.
“When we give them results, they disappear. Engaging debt collectors has proved futile as most parents have come up with a number of tricks to evade paying. Some parents change addresses, change phone numbers or simply ignore calls from the debt collectors,” said the head, adding that some parents registered their children as private candidates at other schools to avoid challenges when collecting results.
Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister, Professor Paul Mavhima earlier this month said:
“Parents have to pay something or engage school authorities to make payment plans. In as much as it’s illegal for schools to deny pupils their results, schools have to function.”
Schools, he said, were empowered to take parents to the civil courts to enforce payment of fees.
Ordinary Level results were released last week and some candidates have already registered for the Lower Sixth.
Recently, human rights lawyers compelled Townsend Girls High School to release certificates for two former pupils that the school had been holding for over 10 years over non-payment of fees.
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter