Headmasters warned

Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Professor Paul Mavhima, has warned school heads against sending children home over non-payment of school fees as schools have opened.

Prof Mavhima told The Chronicle recently that the Government will be monitoring schools to ensure that children whose parents fail to pay fees on time are not kicked out of school.

He said: "It remains a Government position that school heads shouldn't send children home over the issue of school fees. It's the right of every child to access education regardless of one's social status. Therefore, children shouldn't be sent away for non-payment of school fees," he said.

Prof Mavhima said school heads were supposed to engage community leaders such as Members of the House of Assembly, councillors and School Development Committee executives over the issue of fees. He said sending children home was a violation of their rights.

The Deputy Minister said parents should bear with the school heads and avoid sending children to boarding schools without paying school fees.

"Parents must be responsible and play a role in affirming the right of education for their children. How can you send your child to a boarding school when you haven't paid school fees? Where will the school get food for your child from," he aked?"

Prof Mavhima also warned schools against increasing school fees without approval from the ministry amid reports that some schools have already increased fees.

"No school is allowed to increase school fees without approval from the ministry. School heads know the procedure that has to be followed if they want to increase fees. At the moment we've not received reports of schools that have increased fees," he said.