Coltart Orders Dramatic Cut in Fees, Teachers’ Children Exempt

ZIMDIASPORA
TUESDAY, 05 MAY 2009
By LOVEMORE MAZIVISA

ZIMBABWE’S Education Minister Senator David Coltart ordered a dramatic cut in public school fees on Monday as the government moved to save the country’s education system from collapse.

Public school teachers who are paid just US$100 monthly allowances along with the rest of the country’s civil servants will also be exempt from paying fees for their children, the minister said after a meeting with international donors and teachers’ unions.

Parents will pay just US$20 at the most expensive government secondary schools, down from US$280 in the first term in the interim fees schedule announced by the minister.

Pupils at primary schools in poor neighbourhoods and rural areas will pay just US$5 for the second term, with their counterparts in the low density areas paying US$10.

Pupils enrolled at government secondary schools in high density suburbs will pay US$10, and their counterparts in more affluent districts will be charged US$20.

Ordinary Level and Advanced Level candidates will pay US$10 as examination fees while the treasury picks up the rest of the costs.

Coltart said over the weekend that most parents were worse off since March when he announced fees for the first term.

“When the fees were set in March, the assumption was that we would get balance of payments to kick-start the economy,” Coltart said. “But this has not materialised and parents are worse off than before.”

The hard-working minister told a press conference on Monday that cabinet would shortly be meeting to fix substantive tuition fees. Parents who have already paid more than the statutory amount would be credited for any overpayments, he added.

Coltart said: “Because the fees have been reduced, school development committees will have to raise the balance of the money needed to run schools through levies. Accordingly, all Government schools are to urgently hold meetings in terms of the Education Act, to agree with parents the amount of levies to be charged and thereafter to seek the approval from the permanent secretary.

“Those parents who have already paid fees will have that amount deducted from the amount now due in terms of this statement and will only have to pay any shortfall. In the case of those who have paid in excess of the approved fees, they will have the excess credited to any amount due in respect of the second or third term fees.”

The minister also urged private schools to charge reasonable fees.

“Private schools are required by law to seek approval for their fees from the Permanent Secretary. We, however, face the real danger of brain drain in these private schools so while I am concerned about parents with pupils in private schools, we need not undermine our private schools.”

Meanwhile teachers’ unions have urged their members to attend the opening of the second school term on Tuesday after putting back plans for a nationwide strike for improved pay.

Union leaders from the Zimbabwe Teachers Association, the Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe and the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe met Coltart and international donor agencies on Monday
“We need to give the unity government a chance, and so we are asking our members to keep working,” said Takavafira Zhou, the President of the Progressive Teacher Union of Zimbabwe. “But we can only wait until June and then we won’t have a choice but to embark on a mass action.”