The Herald
By Chipo Bewu
14 March 2011
The phenomena of extra lessons by most teachers and schools across the country has crippled our education system like cancer and in the manner exhibited by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.
The main reason why teachers are demanding pupils to pay for extra lessons is because they are not adequately remunerated. However, Zimbabwe has been going through economic recession, the education sector was on its demise like any other government department.
While most parents appreciate difficulties that teachers and the rest of civil service is going through, the question is, who in this country is earning enough to bask in the glory of paying the extra cost for their children’s education.
When will salaries for civil servant be enough to warrant the removal of this cancer? The only barometer for a reasonable salary is the poverty datum line, which is fair, but against what the company or institution gross earnings.
It seems as if education is the only sector more important than any other government departments. The truth of the matter is that all Zimbabweans black or white at the moment are reeling under the marauding effects of the economic recession and therefore it is unreasonable for the ministry of education to sanction what Minister David Coltart calls incentives for teachers yet he forgets that it is not the education sector alone that makes government business tick.
This said, we need to look at other civil servants who are equally important if we are to build a healthy and prosperous Zimbabwe.
This is like commissioning corruption in the education sector because remedial lessons have always been there in all schools for all pupils at no extra cost. Most parents are burdened by other commitments such as exorbitant schools fees, health care fees and rentals yet their salaries are just meagre.
In rural areas, the effect of droughts in the previous two years’ farming seasons also dampened hopes for the farmers for better harvests.
Many parents will agree that teachers are holding children, parents and the nation at ransom in a mafia-style of the Somali pirates who have over the years derailed trade and commerce Eastern Africa and the rest of Southern Africa who are heavily dependant on these ports.
If we are fair enough as a government, what are we saying to other civil servants like nurses, soldiers, police officers, Arex officers and many others not mentioned?
In order to achieve fairness, we will end up with a scenario where a new farmer should pay an incentive each time he or she calls an Arex officer to his farm, so should the police officer handing the a criminal case, the public prosecutor, the road engineer, and immigration officer. The plight of children should not be used as a tool to wage a war like the biblical ruthless Harold who ordered all first born baby boys to be killed fearing his throne could be taken. If the Commissioner-General of police, Augustine Chihuri said they want to rid of corrupt police officers to have a credible police force, are we saying teachers, nurses, soldiers and Arex officers are exempted from the rule?
A few years back most children in Harare were made to roam the streets begging for alms, which they called “sponsoring”. These were deplorable practices and I remember the director of education for Harare Province Mr Tomax Dhoba describing them as unacceptable.
In retrospect, when we went to school in the late 70s to early 80s it was optional or compulsory for pupils to attend lessons during or towards examination calendar in order to boost chances of passing examinations. Therefore if teachers find the working conditions unsuitable the option is to take their employer to the labour court, to resign or lobby for better working conditions or find other jobs that suit their whims rather than looking for a soft spot to victimise children.
At one school, in Mufakose, a teacher allegedly created two groupings in a class between those who paid his fees and those who did not pay and paid special attention to those greasing his palms. A good number of schools around Harare mostly in high-density suburbs have intensified this practice.
Many parents have expressed their displeasure over this practice. In 2007, a respectable educationist, Mr Jigu Katsande, from Women University in Africa wrote in The Herald weighing the pros and cons of this practice and the outcome was that demerits outweigh the advantages.
For example pupils in Grade 1 to 5 cannot cope with the load of the whole day but are made to stay for extra lessons. The children get tired and do not benefit from the extra lessons.
We cannot pretend to fight corruption in one sector, while sanction it the other way. What type of policy is this? The defence and police forces have over the years complained about poor working conditions and remuneration hence we have never as a nation sanctioned corruption as an incentive to keep them working for the nation. We have condemned it right away.
Imagine that these tutorials are levied per child as young as Grade 1. Does his/her mind sincerely have to be burdened with loads of work at such a tender age?
But we see them going up to 4pm in class. Can the minds of these toddlers still be able to grasp or it’s sheer greed and a waste of resources and energy. In most cases, parents help their children through the night to do the homework they are given at school.
Laterally, government policy states that no civil servant shall engage in other business without declaring to his superiors yet is done on the school premises. There is no evidence of teachers paying rent for using the school resources?
There is no difference to the scenario with the rebels who capture women and children to force government to submit to their demands. During the liberation of these country we, never saw such a practice where guerrillas captured white women and children to force the Smith regime to submit, that the war was fair, those who lost gave up.
Under the UN, Convention of the rights of a child, Article 28, states that it is the right of every child to go to school. But what are we saying to parents who cannot afford paying school fees, yet alone the extra lesson fees? What about orphans? This is another form of denial, in a discriminatory system against children well calculated and administered under the eye of a Minister in a Zimbabwean Government.
In vein this is not what the people fought for- education for all hence discriminatory system are creeping into the fore.
As we look into the future of our children, this practice will eventually create foes and the Berlin wall between parents and teachers.