Zim shuts down private schools

2004-05-04 10:33

Harare - President Robert Mugabe's government on Tuesday closed most private schools after ordering them to increase their fees by only 10 percent a year.

The move stopped about 30 000 children attending school on the first day of the new term.

Outside the Christian Gateway junior school, parents stared at a sign reading: "School closed until further notice."

A policewoman was on guard and the nearby high school refused teachers and staff entry until the headmaster produced a letter from a senior policeman authorising their entry.

The state-controlled daily Herald published a list of 45 private schools which Education Minister Aeneas Chigwedere said would not reopen until they had complied with government regulations allowing private schools to increase their fees by only 10 percent a year.

The country has an annual inflation rate of about 600 percent. Some of the most prestigious schools charge Z$6m (around R7 500) a three-month term for full-time boarders.

Private school enrollments form only a tiny proportion of the school-going population, and cater mainly for the wealthier middle- and upper-income groups, although a significant proportion of poorer children receive bursaries. The majority of pupils are black.

State schools are in a critical condition and many have classes with about 80 pupils. They do not have enough teachers, textbooks, desks or classrooms, as the government struggles to finance the most basic amenities.

Enrollments

Government school enrollments are reported to have dropped by 60 percent in recent years because parents cannot afford state-controlled fees.

On Monday, thousands of children, who travelled long distances to reach private boarding schools, were turned away by police. Chigwedere began warning of the closure last week.

"We held meetings with the ministry on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week," said the deputy headmaster of one school who asked not to be named.

"We said, look at our budgets. If we drop our fees to the prescribed levels, we will not be able to pay our teachers, our staff, our electricity and water bills. We will have to be declared illegally insolvent.

"We said to the ministry, will you accept responsibility for this? They said no, and they gave us an assurance in writing that as we were still negotiating, we would not have to close.

"They promised police would not be sent to the school."

Another headmaster said: "We had a meeting last term where all but 12 of the 400 parents agreed to the fee increases. They have no problem. They just pull out the cheque book and sign. They know what the situation is and they can manage the fees."

However, Chigwedere told the Herald he was "resolute" and described as "outright lies" allegations that his ministry had not responded to schools' appeals. "They increased fees during the first term without approval and they went on to increase them further this term," he said.

"We are dealing with racist schools. They are all former white schools - all racist," Chigwedere told state television on Tuesday. "They throw Africans out simply by hiking fees."

In his independence day address, Mugabe also slammed the fee hikes.

"Our principal goal of attaining education for all appears to be in real jeopardy with some schools charging as much as 10 million dollars a term," Mugabe said. - Sapa-dpa-AFP

- SAPA