Schools rope in debt collectors

Lovemore Zigara Midlands Correspondent
SOME schools in Gweru have started handing over parents who defaulted in paying school fees in the last few terms to debt collectors.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora last year directed schools not to chase children for non-payment of fees.
He, however, recently gave schools the green light to use traditional and civil courts to recover money owed to them by parents and guardians.

Bumburwi, Takunda and St Paul’s Primary schools in Mkoba have already started handing over parents to debt collectors while other schools are contemplating taking the same route.

A letter addressed to parents and guardians by one of the schools head gave them up to July 8 to come up with payment plans failure of which they would be handed over to debt collectors.

Bumburwi has contracted Molapele Debt Collectors to help them recover their money. Some parents have already been handed over to the debt collector by the school.

“We are instructed by our above named client to demand from you as we hereby do payment in the sum of US$…. in respect of school fees and levy Term 1 – 2014 for your child … who has been in class … . The above sum is inclusive of legal costs and collection commission, unless you make payment of the amount within seven (7) days of this letter.

“Our instructions are to institute legal proceedings against you needless to say costs of such actions shall be on your account,” read the letter from Molapele Debt Collectors.

The letter further states that a court fee and messenger of court costs amounting to $500 will be added to the bill.

Parents who spoke to Chronicle said it was unfair to engage debt collectors without consulting them on the issue.

“It is not fair on the part of schools to engage debt collectors without consulting parents. We only learnt of this issue when they sent letters demanding payments.

“We want to pay the fees but the economy is bad. Schools should have allowed us to come up with payment plans so that we settle the arrears than resorting to debt collectors.

Efforts to get comment from the provincial education director Agnes Gudo were fruitless as she was said to be out of office.