News / Education
Harare appeals to London for school fees
26 Jan 2014 at 17:04hrs | Views
A UK-based newspaper reports that Zimbabwe approached Britain for funds to help cover school fees for an estimated one million pupils who could be forced out of school because the cash-strapped government cannot finance a scheme meant for poor children.
According to the UK-based Telegraph newspaper, Harare appealed to London ten days ago to extend a programme under which the British government paid school fees for about 300,000 pupils over the last three years.
"We received an initial request from the Zimbabwean Government and we are considering our response," the newspaper quoted an unnamed official with the UK Department for International Development (DIFID) as saying.
Started under the former coalition administration between Mugabe's Zanu-PF and the MDC parties, the programme also saw the UK, Germany and other European donors pay for more than 13 million text books for schoolchildren.
The scheme ended last August after Mugabe's re-election which was disputed by main rival Morgan Tsvangirai whose claim that the vote was fraudulent received backing from Britain and other Western countries.
David Coltart, the former Education minister, said many students would likely fail to pay fees even if the UK managed to chip in.
"The school system is grossly underfunded by government and was designed for a different economy," he said. "It is not coping to ensure that all eligible children will attend school."
According to the UK-based Telegraph newspaper, Harare appealed to London ten days ago to extend a programme under which the British government paid school fees for about 300,000 pupils over the last three years.
"We received an initial request from the Zimbabwean Government and we are considering our response," the newspaper quoted an unnamed official with the UK Department for International Development (DIFID) as saying.
Started under the former coalition administration between Mugabe's Zanu-PF and the MDC parties, the programme also saw the UK, Germany and other European donors pay for more than 13 million text books for schoolchildren.
The scheme ended last August after Mugabe's re-election which was disputed by main rival Morgan Tsvangirai whose claim that the vote was fraudulent received backing from Britain and other Western countries.
David Coltart, the former Education minister, said many students would likely fail to pay fees even if the UK managed to chip in.
"The school system is grossly underfunded by government and was designed for a different economy," he said. "It is not coping to ensure that all eligible children will attend school."
Source - telegraph
