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Writes Elvis Dumba
Mutorashanga – A Swift response by education authorities in Zvimba saved nine pupils who were facing the dilemma of failing to sit for their final ordinary-level examination after they had been sent back home over school fees.
Concerned residents of Mutorashanga sought the assistance of Mashonaland West Province Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Marian Chombo’s office after nine pupils had been sent away from Chrome Secondary School by the school head identified as Tapera over school fees arrears a few minutes before they sat for a mathematics exam.
Concerned residents raised the alarm with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education through the Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution office and police.
The Zvimba District Schools Inspectorate swiftly responded by visiting the school for fact-finding on the matter.
The School head was questioned and released by the local police before he instructed the nine students back to school where he reportedly allowed the students to “write” the exams after other students had finished the same paper.
One student interviewed said they had been sent back home and ordered to come back to the school only with the school fees.
“We had been told to bring our parents to the school a few days before and when we came to school ready for the exam, the school head came into our exam classes and made us leave saying our parents had not yet heeded his call to come and specify when they were going to pay the fees. He said we would only write the exams if we had paid the fees,” a student from the school said.
A parent from Mutorashanga said they were shocked to see their children coming back home whilst others were writing exams.
“I saw my son coming back home looking worried and I thought something terrible had happened as I knew he was sitting for a mathematics examination at that time. That’s when he tearfully narrated that they had been barred from writing the examination over school fees,” she told this publication.
When contacted for comment, the school head only said they had “sorted out some issues and everything was okay”, without elaborating further.
It was not clear if the affected learners had managed to write the same examination paper as other students.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Spokesperson Taungana Ndoro confirmed the incident and said the learners were now back at the school where they were sitting for their examinations.