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Parents struggle to raise school fees money and stationery for their children. Image by Unsplash
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | MAR 19, 2021
Some first-year learners for both primary and secondary schools may not be able to go to school this term as guardians struggle with raising the needed resources for their education.
TSHOLOTSHO (The Citizen Bulletin) — Babongile Vundla (5) from Nkunzi village in Tsholotsho will not begin her grade one lessons this term as her parents have not raised enough school fees, stationery and school fees required at entry-level.
Her parents, Onias and Yenziwe Vundla, both in their mid-30s, say providing for her institutional bills has been impeded by economic and social hardships as they are unemployed and cannot fend for themselves.
Babongile is among other students nationwide who are expected to start attending their lessons following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
Making a televised announcement of the phased reopening of schools, Zimbabwe’s Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said: “The school calendar for 2021 starts with the examination classes opening on March 15 and the rest on March 22, 2021.”
“She will not be joining other students when schools open.”
Onias Vundla, the child’s father
“We are coming from a tough and extraordinary time where l could not put food on the table for them, so buying her uniforms required stationery and school is beyond our means, and we have resolved to let her abscond until we can meet all the requirements.”
For Babongile, the desire to go to school is driven by the passion for learning how to count numbers and interact with her former Early Childhood Development (ECD) classmates.
“It breaks my heart to see her always talking about how she misses her friends, teacher and counting, but we can't tell her that she won't be joining them,” her distraught mother says, adding that her only hope is on the upcoming harvest period.
“It's not easy, and we are hopeful that when schools open next week, she will be assisted by well-wishers or allowed entry even without stationery or uniforms until we manage to harvest our produce for resale.”
Children who are excluded from learning opportunities for various reasons are the most vulnerable. Image by UNICEF
Babongile's story resonates with that of Anele Dube, also from the same district whose parents say the form one pupil has not secured a place at any secondary school due to financial challenges.
Anele managed to produce 20 units in his primary level, but according to her grandfather Moses Dube, his chances of proceeding to secondary school have been impeded by COVID-19 effects.
“He is currently assisting with home chores and working in the fields, but his mother says for now she is unable to raise his school fees as she was dismissed from her domestic job sometime in August last year.”
Moses Dube, Anele’s grandfather
“Our wish would be to take him to Dinyane Secondary School or where his mother lives in Sipepa, but these social hardships have impeded all those wishes. I am a peasant farmer; my age does not allow me to be productive anymore, so chances are very high that he will not enrol with others.”
Another affected pupil is Kezia Mathe (15) from Khumbula village, whose parents say the donor who used to provide her school fees and stationery suddenly pulled out. She will not be able to resume her form three studies.
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Matabeleland North Provincial Education director Jabulani Mpofu acknowledges the challenges that are likely going to be faced by students such as Babongile, Anele and Kezia.
“We are still compiling the data, including those that did not attend their schools in the category of the first phase throughout the district, but the challenges are going to be there,” Mpofu says
“We are also going to assess how the parents paid their school fees, and we will send all our findings to the parent ministry for a reaction.”
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