Headmasters face jail as Education Bill sails through

Headmasters face jail as Education Bill sails through

• Minister fails to pay fees for his kids

• Zim parents undeterred by fees hikes

• Teachers fight take-over of private schools

• Zim's private schools see red over fees imposition

• Zimbabwe's rural teachers lose glamour

• Zim rehires retired teachers as strike widens

• Teachers deamand 100% pay rise, go on strike

• Zim civil servants demand 100pc

• Civil servants' pay rise now 300pc

• Teacher tells pupils to suckle her breasts as punishment

• Zim exam board has no money for exams

• Zim reverses education gains

• School heads arrested in fees row

• Private schools go to court

• Parents fume over school closures

• Mugabe pledges to cap school fees

By Lebo Nkatazo

ZIMBABWE'S Parliament on Tuesday passed a controversial legislation that allows the jailing of headmasters and school authourities for up to six months for charging fees not approved by the government.

During a hastily convened emergency session which saw members of the House of Assembly being recalled earlier after Parliament had adjourned to March 28, 45 Zanu PF MPs voted for the Education Amendment Bill while 21 from the opposition objected to it.

Opposition legislators say one of the Bill's most draconian aspects is the six months imprisonment or a fine equivalent to it or both for headmasters who “unilaterally increase school fees or levies”, without government approval.

The Bill which was earlier assented to by Senate now awaits President Robert Mugabe’s signature.

The idea of the Bill was mooted after May 2004 when the government closed a number of private and Non Governmental, and mission schools that refused to follow unrealistic government charges that have seen a drop in school standards due to inflation induced costs.

The amendment also provides for the charging of the fees in line with the Consumer Price Index, published by the Central Statistical Office.

The six months, a reduction from 12 months is a compromise that was reached after the Parliamentary Legal Committee ruled that the Bill was unconstitutional.

In an interview Wednesday, MDC Chitungwiza MP Fidelis Mhashu said "education had been criminalised".

“The point which I made is that there is no need to criminalise the education system,” he said.

The legislator added that there was no need for Education Minister Aeneas Chigwedere, through provisions of the Bill, to concentrate on administrative issues such as fees and levies and school uniforms, when what needed to be addressed was the decline of the country’s education system.

“The emphasis should be on the learning outcome, in other words the quality of education. Administering schools is not the major issue, it should be left to school managers. What is needed is the reform of the educational system,” he added.

Mhashu said the fact that the pass rate for O' Level in Zimbabwe was 20 percent in 2003, dropping to 19 percent in 2004 was enough evidence that there was need to examine the quality of education.

He added that some of the government’s interference in the running of the schools was unconstitutional.
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