Schools to close early

Finance minister Tendai Biti yesterday told Parliament that schools would close early next month to allow teachers to conduct the national population census earmarked for August 17 and 18.

Biti said government had resolved that the current school term should end on August 2 instead of August 9 to allow teachers, who constitute the majority of the census enumerators, to prepare for the programme.

He said $37 million was needed for this year’s census, adding Zimbabweans in the Diaspora would also be counted through a website to be set up by his ministry.

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