War vets await school fees payment

THE Government has promised to settle an outstanding $8,4 million that it owes in unpaid school fees for war veterans' children throughout the country since the beginning of the year. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of War Veterans, War Collaborators, Ex-Political Detainees and Restrictees, Retired Brigadier-General Walter Tapfumaneyi said his ministry was still waiting for Treasury to release the money.

"In total we are waiting for $8,4 million from Treasury so that we cover school fees from first term. We managed to pay for the first and second batch but failed to cover the third batch and there is an outstanding balance of $1,4 million that is needed," he said.

He said complaints that were emanating from Bulawayo Province that some children of war veterans have not had their school fees cleared were true.

"It is correct to say some children in Bulawayo have outstanding school fees that have not been paid, this is because some of them fall in the third batch which is still to be paid. However, the rest in the two other batches are ok," he said.

Last week war veterans in Bulawayo complained over non-payment of their children' school fees. Rtd Brig-Gen Tapfumaneyi said the Government avails $6,4 million each term for the payment of school fees.

"We had a challenge in that we used some of the money for the war veterans' meeting where they met the President and part of that money was meant for school fees, it was supposed to be replaced but there were some delays but we will receive that money and pay up the school fees," he said.

The Permanent Secretary said they were waiting for the release of a further $6,4 million that should cover second term school fees. The school fees is paid via the banks that the schools and universities use and not to individuals.

A student from a local university who refused to be named said she was having challenges due to the late disbursement of the fees.

"The challenge is that at school they do not understand that our fees are through the War Veterans Ministry and when it is examination time we have to beg the school to be allowed to sit for examinations. The other challenge is that they never rotate the batches, those in the first and second batches always have their fees paid first. If they can rotate, we will also access our fees early," she said.