BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA GOVERNMENT said holiday lessons are unnecessary as the school calendar is sufficient to make sure that learners are educated enough to sit for exams.
Recently, the government banned teachers and school heads from conducting extra lessons during the holiday.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission also said it will investigate teachers that charge students for extra lessons as it is corruption.
Before the ban, schools would conduct holiday lessons usually for two weeks, allowing slow learners to catch up.
Responding to questions from MPs during the National Assembly question and answer session today, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the school calendar is sufficient enough for learners to understand lessons.
“The practice that was happening was to charge learners extra lessons so that they can come to school,” Ziyambi said.
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“The policy position that was taken was that our school terms are sufficient to cover what is required for an examination. But what was happening was that teachers were now concentrating on holiday lessons and charging extra fees. Therefore, the school calendar must be sufficient to ensure that learners are taught and are able to write exams,” he said.
Ziyambi said should it be found that the school term is short; the school calendar would be reviewed and adjusted accordingly.
“We are saying teachers should teach during all the five school days until the term ends,” he said.
Learning in schools was disrupted after teachers and school heads declared incapacitation demanding their pre-October 2018 salaries of US$540.