The pupils at Mother Patrick Convent Primary School in
Mainway Meadows up to Grade 6 were served with letters of expulsion from the
institution.
According to letters gleaned by NewsDay and delivered to
some of the pupils sent packing on December 2 this year, the authorities
informed parents and guardians that their children had been expelled from the
school due to their absence from school for more than a week.
“Your child has exceeded the allowable limit as per our
school’s attendance policy.
“As a result, we regret to inform you that we are
withdrawing your child from our school roll,” part of the letter written by
acting head Eugenia Muketiwa read.
However, according to a week-long investigation and
interactions with parents and guardians, the authorities withdrew the children
after staff at the school downed tools over poor working conditions and unpaid
salaries.
The strike, which began on November 19, was sparked by teachers’ demands for better
working conditions, fair labour practices and payment of outstanding salaries
and bonuses. The job action led to the expulsion of the students from school.
The teachers alleged that the school’s administration,
which was led by the former headmistress Tendayi Kagurabadza, had failed to
address their concerns, which forced parents and guardians to withdraw their
children from the school.
Meanwhile, the expulsions have fuelled the dispute between
parents and the school authorities.
Parents and guardians expressed outrage and disappointment
over the expulsions, which they claimed to be unfair and unjustified.
“This is a clear case of victimisation by the school
administration. Our children are being punished for the actions of the
teachers, which is not their fault,” one of the parents said.
Some of the parents, in interviews with NewsDay, revealed
that they were forced to withdraw their children, who were loitering around the
school with no one to look after them as the strike went on.
“We were shocked when the children, who returned to school
this week, were served with expulsion letters for allegedly missing classes,”
another parent said.
“How do they miss classes when the staff has been on strike
for more than two weeks?
“We feel the children are being victimised while the school
authorities are failing to attend to the challenges affecting the school.”
But amid the ongoing challenges, school authorities have
assured parents of normalcy restoration and stability at the institution.
In a letter signed by the management board chairperson,
identified only as Mr Matigimu, the authorities assured parents that they will
take full responsibility for ensuring an enabling learning environment at the
school.
“We acknowledge that the recent events may have fallen
short of this expectation. We are committed to restoring normalcy and stability
at our school at the earliest,” part of the letter read.
“We appreciate your patience, understanding and continued support during this challenging time.
“We are confident that together, we can overcome the
current difficulties and restore Mother Patrick to its former glory.”
Matigimu also urged parents to return their children to
school for the good of the institution.
“A school is not a school without the little ones. We
encourage you to bring your children to school with immediate effect.
“In parallel, we are working tirelessly to engage with all stakeholders, including our teachers to resolve internal administrative matters,” he said. Newsday
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