'Head turned girls school into shebeen'

The former Eveline High School head, Rosemary Moyo, implicated in the $1 million fraud scandal, has been accused of turning the government school into a 'shebeen' as she allegedly sold alcohol to students, while drinking and smoking by pupils went on unpunished.

The school head, Moyo, declined to comment on the alleged fraud referring this reporter to the Provincial Education Director, Dan Moyo, who implored the reporter not to write the story.

According to a petition written by the school's heads of departments last year, addressed to the Education ministry and other relevant government departments including the office of the president, it was alleged that Moyo had turned the school into a lawless institution as pupils went on unpunished for drinking and smoking at the school.

"The disciplinary committee does not sit anymore on misconduct issues as the 'drinking or smoking pupils' are not punished, suspended or expelled. This sets a negative disciplinary precedence to other students," read the petition.

The report said due to lack of discipline, the institution had earned a nickname after the school head.

"This has led to students naming Eveline High School as ishabeen kaMaRoe derived from the school head's name Rosemary Moyo".

"Currently, teachers are failing to control pupils as their authority has been undermined, worse when kids are taken to her (head of school), she just yells at them and that's all," read the report.

In the petition, Moyo is also alleged to have enrolled pupils expelled from other schools for indiscipline, creating an undisciplined school.

"She has, of late, enrolled expelled pupils from other schools due to their uncalled for behaviour and this has worsened the indiscipline.

"Asked if such students will have produced transfer letters from their previous schools, she states that 'she adheres to policy', or says, 'this child is of a boss in government office'.

The 13-paged report also accused Moyo of selling alcohol at the school premises during weekends when parents visit their children at the boarding school.

"From 2012, there has been beer selling during visiting weekends that takes place at the end of every month at the girls' hostels. When asked about this, the head said, "Parents had no problem of selling beer and drinking in front of girls," the report said, questioning if it was in line with the ministry of Education principles.

The former school head was last week promoted to home economics inspector and is now based at the regional offices, a move regarded as a bid to shield her away from prosecution.