Govt closes squatter camp school

THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has closed an informal primary school at Ngozi Mine Squatter Camp in Bulawayo with almost 200 pupils being reintegrated into the formal education system.

The unregistered school, which enrolled children of residents at the squatter camp who had been withdrawn from conventional schools over failure to pay fees and alleged stigmatisation by other pupils, had been operational for close to two years. Bulawayo Acting Provincial Education Director Mrs Ollicah Khaira confirmed the closure of the school and said they finished integrating pupils into formal schools last week.

She said she toured the squatter camp with a delegation of Education Officers and heads of schools and they explained to parents of the pupils during a meeting why the institution had to be closed.

"I went there myself with some headmasters and other officers within the ministry. We did this in the best interests of the children. We want them to get the best education and from qualified personnel who will understand the needs of children at various age groups. We appreciate their efforts to have a school there. However, we have requested them to bring their children to the registered, legal schools," Mrs Khaira said.

"We have had some donors offering to pay school fees for some of the pupils and purchase other learning materials. This is much appreciated because there is a great need for assistance in that community. Some of our children will be catered for in the BEAM scheme, a government sponsorship project."

She said the Ministry was appealing for more assistance as some children are yet to get any sponsors.

Mrs Khaira said they were coming up with a funding strategy in which they would appeal for donations for the pupils, in a project that they have named 'adopt a child project.' "We now have a project titled 'adopt a child' in which we appeal to well-wishers to adopt at least one child whom they will help take through school by paying school fees and helping wherever they can with learning materials. The little love that we can share can go a long way in someone's life," said the acting PED.

Mrs Khaira said she assured parents that pupils, teachers and other members of staff had been prepared to welcome children from the closed school.
Some of the schools where some of the pupils have been placed are Tategulu Primary School in Cowdray park suburb, Emakhandeni Primary School, Cowdray Park Secondary school and Mahlathini Primary School among others.

The leader of Ngozi Mine Residents' Association, Mr Gilbert Tshuma, said his community was worried about the Ministry's move to reintegrate their children back to formal schools.

"As a community, we are worried that our children will suffer from stereotyping and stigmatisation from other pupils. Children, being children, can laugh at others and not be sympathetic at their situation. We are poor and we are scavengers, so our children will be called names for staying at the city's rubbish dumpsite," said Mr Tshuma, who said he has been living at the camp since 1995.

Mr Tshuma said they were worried that their children would be victimised when their parents, who survive on scavenging, fail to pay fees at the schools they have been taken to. "It is good that they are now learning at the normal schools. However, as scavengers, money is hard to come by and we do not want to see a situation in which these schools will now be demanding school fees from us. That is why we withdrew our children from formal education in the first place," he said.