Zimbabwe: Ministry Probes Harare School

THE Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture is investigating a school in Harare for allegedly operating without registration for the past four years.

Vatal Junior School in Marlborough, with an enrolment of about 250 pupils, is not registered with the ministry and is operating from a house where temporary structures were erected to serve as classrooms and toilets.
Boarders at the school share small rooms at a nursery school in Mabelreign.Each room has five bunk beds squashed together where up to six pupils share a bunk bed three on top and three below - exposing them to potential airborne and waterborne diseases.Documents show that Vatal School defied Government's directive to reduce fees and revert to pre-June 18 levels as it doubled fees from $2,5 million in June to $5 million in July.The headmaster of the school, who only identified himself as Mr Maturure, said he was not aware that the school was not registered and wanted time to establish the position.He produced a letter dated July 20, which he claimed was a registration certificate.The letter was a response from the Ministry of Education that acknowledged that some pupils at the school be registered to study for correspondence."I will have to check with the director (Mrs Maida) of the school as I am not aware that the school is not registered. I will have to consult my director about talking to you in detail," Mr Maturure said, before closing the school gate.Contacted for comment, Harare deputy provincial education director, Mr Calvin Mazula, said the school was not registered with the ministry and that Government was not aware of its existence."The ministry is not aware of such a school as it is not registered with us -- it is an illegal structure. As far as I am concerned, the school in question does not have a centre number and I don't know how they are going to write their Zimbabwe Examinations Council examinations if they have Grade Seven classes," Mr Mazula said.
He alleged that Vatal School violated standing regulations by offering boarding facilities without being registered.The education ministry, which explained how correspondence schools operate, said centres registered for the programme were not allowed to offer tuition as they only facilitated students to use Government material."Registration for correspondence school is not a formality for registering a school with the Ministry and this registration does not legalise them to operate as a school," said an education official.