SCHOOLS are demanding top-ups of up to 100% for second term fees saying their budgets had been wiped out by inflation and ever-increasing operational costs.
Schools opened on May 3 for the second term and close on
August 4.
At the beginning of the first term, boarding schools had
pegged their fees at between $50 000 and $80 000, while day schools were
charging at least $4 000.
But several schools have called for meetings starting
Saturday to deliberate on fees top-ups, while others have already sent top-up
demand letters to parents.
In a letter dated June 12, 2021 addressed to parents and
guardians, the head of Hartzell High School in Mutare, Shorwi Kawadza said the
institution was facing food stock-outs.
“Given the current food stocks, I write to inform you that
the school will not be able to feed the learners beyond Wednesday June 22,
2022,” Kawadza wrote.
The school had pegged its fee at $55 000 for the second
term.
“If we cannot restock our food stocks, I will not be able
to keep the children at school, hence I will ask you to collect our learners
from school. Therefore, together we should find a solution,” Kawadza added.
A NewsDay snap survey revealed that some boarding schools
had altered their diets in line with available funds.
Zimbabwe National Union of School Heads secretary-general
Munyaradzi Majoni said: “We are experiencing a disaster, especially at boarding
schools. Schools did their budgets when the inflation rate was fairly stable.
But now spiking inflation has gobbled up funds leaving the school bankrupt. The
challenge is that they can’t unilaterally decide to top up the fees. They need
to seek approval from the ministry which may take ages to respond.”
Prices of basic commodities have risen sharply since April,
with the country’s year-on-year inflation going up to 131,7% in May from 96,4%
in April.
Efforts to get a comment from Primary and Secondary
Education minister Evelyn Ndlovu were in vain as she was said to be in a
meeting.
Ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro’s phone was not
reachable.
The latest survey by the Zimbabwe National Statistics
Agency said about 74% parents and guardians can no longer afford paying school
fees, with only 26% able to meet educational expenses for their children.
Teachers’ representatives who spoke to NewsDay said while
schools were justified to demand top-ups, parents were already struggling to
make ends meet under the prevailing harsh economic climate.
“School are battling to stay afloat under the
hyperinflationary environment. The fees that have been paid by parents have
been wiped out by inflation,” Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe
president Obert Masaraure said earlier on before his arrest yesterday.
“We are almost on the verge of going back to the 2008 era.
Schools are demanding top-ups, but they are demanding top-ups from the same
parents who have gone for months without getting salary increments from their
employer, the government.” Newsday
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