By 
Manicaland Senator Douglas Mwonzora has questioned Governments commitment to teachers, as they are failing to honour their pledge of paying schools fees for teachers’ children.
In February, Government pledged to release $2,68 billion towards payment of school fees for children of teachers with a maximum of 3 children per teacher getting $20 000 each per term.
The money was supposed to cover fees for the first term, while funds for the second term were to be disbursed but the fees are yet to be paid.
Speaking during Senate last week, Mwonzora highlighted that teachers children are being chased from school due to failure to pay school fees.
“Minister, you said that you are facing constraints to buy food to feed school children. Some children are not getting food and others are being chased from schools due to failure to pay school fees, especially children whose parents are teachers.
“You have not paid fees for teachers’ children; part of the fees that was supposed to be disbursed from Government has not been paid. What measures are in place in terms of commitment on the budget on food and your commitment to teachers?” said Mwonzora.
In response Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Edgar Moyo said anyone whose fees are paid by Government are not supposed to be sent away from school.
“On the teachers’ children who are being sent home, I think that is a travesty of what the policy stipulates. Anyone whose fees is supposed to be paid by Government, like BEAM and this particular provision that you cited, those children are not supposed to be sent away from school. All our teachers know that and it would be very interesting to know the specific schools that are doing that so that we make follow-up investigations.
“Those people will be charged for misconduct because that is against the policy that all of us know about. We would very much request that Hon. Members alert us to that kind of behaviour by our officers so that corrective measures are taken,” said Moyo.
Comments