Parents to suffer most from Education Bill signed by Mugabe

By Tererai Karimakwenda
12 May 2006

It has been revealed that Robert Mugabe signed The Education Amendment Bill on Monday this week. This legislation gives the government the power to determine the fees charged by private schools and gives the minister special powers to make decisions for them. The Associated Schools Trust (AST), which represents private institutions, had negotiated a practical deal with the education minister, but before Mugabe signed the bill Minister Aeneas Chigwedere added 2 clauses that had not been discussed. AST chairman Jameson Timba told us the clauses will mean that schools have to re-adjust their fees to meet the new standards put forward by the government. But the government is reserving the right to limit fee increases and inflation may force schools to shut down. Timba said AST explained this to the minister yet the bill got signed with the clauses intact. With Mugabe’s signature, the bill will become law once it is gazetted. Timba said the new rules will not apply to this current term.

The schools have been dreading this moment because the government believes they are overcharging. But the AST negotiated a deal with the education minister which stipulates that by percentage, the fee hikes should not exceed "the increase in the cost of living from the beginning to the end of the preceding term as indicated by the Consumer Price Index published by the Central Statistics Office". This is what private schools were fighting for. But AST chairman Timba is concerned about the adjustments contained in the clauses added by Chigwedere. He said boarding schools will be forced to increase fees above inflation to meet government standards. Yet the government will punish any school that does this. Parents will suffer the most by having to pay the adjusted fees.

Public schools have no resources, the classes are overcrowded and the quality of education is now inferior. Experts say this could be the end of education in Zimbabwe.

According to the Zim Online news site Education Minister Aeneas Chigwedere said: "We are going to deal heavily with all those schools that are charging exorbitant fees. We are aware that there are some schools already charging Z$300 million a term, some Z250 million, others Z$200 million a term. This is outrageous and unacceptable."

Education has become the focus of demonstrations by civil groups and student leaders in the past few weeks. There have been several arrests and brutal assaults on students who did nothing but peacefully express their concern at the state of education in the country under the Mugabe regime. And nearly 200 activists and school children were arrested in Bulawayo last week after a peaceful protest march. Several student leaders are currently in police detention nursing serious injuries and denied access to any medical treatment.