Online Reporter
Arron Nyamayaro
SOME teachers at Houghton Park Primary School are making as much as US$700 a month, on top of their salaries, from extra lessons, while some pupils are being punished from not being part of these lessons.
ECD learners, who are not part of these extra lessons, are being forced to wait within the school yard for those attending the extra lessons because the hired kombis cannot collect the pupils separately.The director of Communications and Advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Taungana Ndoro, confirmed receiving the parents grievances.“We received complaints from Houghton Park Primary School parents about the extra lessons being carried by teachers.
“We have since sent a team for investigations and we are expecting to receive their report,” said Ndoro.
A WhatsApp group, whose members also include some teachers and parents, has been laying bare the chaos which is being generated by these ECD extra lessons.
“We are not against extra lessons but the charges are too exorbitant considering that some parents have more than one child,” said one disgruntled parent.What is more disturbing and abusive is how they are keeping ECD learners hostage at the school, upon finishing their lessons, waiting to be collected together with their seniors by the drivers.School supervisors are turning a deaf ear to this since some of them are beneficiaries of extra lessons packages.”
In an Open Letter to Houghton Park Primary School, a group of parents said:
“Our cries are being ignored at Houghton Park Primary School and we can’t stay silent anymore.
“For how long are we supposed to suffer in silence? This has gone too far. You are still selling homework books for US$10 and charging US$15 for ‘extra lessons,’ on top of the school fees we are already paying. For what? “Why are extra lessons being made compulsory? And why are you charging so much money, especially for ECD classes? These children finish school at 12pm. What time are these extra lessons even happening? It makes no sense. The reality is that children whose parents cannot afford to pay for these unauthorised extra lessons are being left behind and ignored.
“That is not fair. Many of us brought our children to this school precisely because we cannot afford expensive fees elsewhere, yet you are still finding ways to make us pay more.
“I have been doing this research for a while, and I have the names of every teacher charging for these US$10 books. We already asked for a meeting with the Headmaster, but nothing has been done and our concerns continue to be ignored.We are not asking for favours. We are demanding fairness and transparency. Education should not be a business at the expense of struggling parents and children. Fix this. The Headmaster vari kuitei! Honestly we’re tired of this.”
The Open Letter added: “Ma teachers matinyanyira. We’re all battling to make ends meet and you keep usurping from the very pockets that are dry. Mumwe anotukira vana mari yema extra lessons. Yes, we know you, we know what you are doing. Kana zviri zvakanaka why don’t you post in your class groups about mari dzema lessons and homework books Why are you depriving the less privileged of their time in class 0730-1pm? Handiti iyoyo akaibhadharira here?”
The parents expressed their dismay over the Grade 7 pass rates despite the school conducting extra lessons.
dyton mupawaenda
90% of schools in Zimbabwe are reaping both government and parents off by not teaching during the normal hours and demanding that pupils attend extra lessons. It’s not only Houghton Park Primary School carrying out this heartless, cruel and mercenary like practice. Almost all schools in the country do it. Meanwhile education authorities claim not to know what is happening. We never used to have extra lessons let alone homework during our time. Education has not changed much over decades and what now drives the need for extra lessons besides teachers’ greed? Government must stop talking and starting acting on these errant educators. In fact they are mercenaries who pry on poor people.