GOVERNMENT yesterday came under fire for “dishonesty” over its pledge to offer free education beginning this term after a number of learners were turned away over non-payment of school fees.
Last week, government said it would roll out free education in phases, first targeting learners in marginalised rural areas before spreading it across the whole sector.
A survey by NewsDay, however, revealed otherwise although government insisted the roll out had started.
Speaking to NewsDay, union leaders called on government to come clean on the free education policy.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) president Obert Masaraure said government should make deliberate efforts to roll out a free education plan to support learning in marginalised communities.
“Learners in various schools paid fees and those from vulnerable backgrounds still relied on the Basic Education Assistance Module, (Beam). Only 45% of learners in rural schools paid their tuition fees in full, schools are relying on Beam disbursement to fund operations and it is important to mention that these disbursements take long and are insufficient to sustain the term,” he said.
Government has for years been struggling to pay fees on time for thousands of learners under its Beam programme and for teachers’ children.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Takavafira Zhou said government had no capacity to provide free education.
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“Any insinuation to free education is nothing more than grandstanding, political expediency, and homiletic bellicose. Free education calls for payment of US$50 per term for every student, and considering that we have 5,7 million learners in public schools, it is clear that at this historical juncture the government cannot offer free education,” Zhou said..
“Against the Dakar Framework that calls for allocation of over 20% of total budget to education, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education only got 14% of total budget, which is far less to run free education in Zimbabwe,” he said.
In December last year, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube said free education would take time to implement, pointing out that government would not be in a position to implement the programme in January.
In the Primary and Secondary Education ministry vote, Ncube allocated $631,3 billion (US$976 million) towards providing quality infant, junior and secondary education.
The bulk of the allocation will, however, go towards teachers’ salaries and other learning cost.
Zhou added: “Government must ensure that education is a right to all students in Zimbabwe, and at best is accessible to and affordable by many students. There is an urgent need to allocate adequate resources for free education, and minimise corruption. It is, therefore, unfair to send children home for failure to pay fees, and schools must engage parents in order to make payment plans for fees.”
Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro, however, said the free education initiative had gathered momentum.
He said about 1,5 million learners from schools across the country were benefitting.
“It’s actually called Basic State Funded Education where we are providing tuition fees to all our vulnerable and underprivileged learners. We are expecting that the number will increase gradually as we move towards a complete basic state funded education,” he said.
He said no school is allowed to send away a child for non payment of fees.
“The school is supposed to have engagements with parents. No learner should have interrupted education. The parents should approach the school to negotiate when having challenges,” Ndoro said.
In 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law the Education Amendment Act which compels the State to provide free basic education in line with the provisions of section 27 of the Constitution.
Analysts have rubbished Mnangagwa’s free education pledge saying it is a political gimmick aimed at hoodwinking citizens to voting for him and the ruling Zanu PF party in the upcoming elections.
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