The Chronicle
Flora Fadzai Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
AS schools open for the final term for the year today, parents in Bulawayo are crying foul as some learning institutions are demanding part of fees only in foreign currency.
The Government recently said the practice is illegal and urged people to report such schools to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
For fees pegged in foreign currency, parents should be allowed to pay the local currency equivalent at the interbank rate of the day. The city centre was a hive of activity yesterday as parents and guardians accompanied their children to board buses to different schools.
Vendors recorded brisk business at the City Hall , OK Mart, Hamara and other pick up points as parents bustled to make last-minute purchases of items such as snacks.
Parents with children learning at various schools said they were told to pay about 50 percent of their children’s school fees strictly in forex. In an interview in Bulawayo yesterday, a parent who chose anonymity said preparing for this term’s opening had been hard.
“This time things have been difficult. We do not have money especially with schools demanding foreign currency which we are currently not earning.
They sent us newsletters telling us half of the fees should be strictly in foreign currency. The most painful thing is that we do not even earn the foreign currency that schools are asking for,” said the parent who was accompanying her daughter to school, at the City Hall car park. A parent, whose child attends Dete High School in Matabeleland North said the school was swindling parents.
“The school is demanding half of the fees in forex. If you want to pay in local currency, their rate is even higher than the illegal parallel market rate. It even becomes better if you buy the forex from money changers and pay. This is just daylight robbery,” fumed the parent.
She expressed hope that the Government will fix the fees challenge as most parents are having a hard time paying for their children’s education.
Another parent said children might drop out of school if schools continue insisting on forex payments.
“If these charges are not fixed l foresee a lot of children being school dropouts. A lot of parents are struggling really with these fees especially the foreign currency. We do not earn foreign currency,” said the parent.
A head of a school in Matabeleland South, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, said schools would collapse if they did not demand part of the fees in forex.
“The forex component is used for goods and services that we cannot buy in local currency. For instance, fuel to keep generators and school vehicle running is bought in forex. It is actually cheaper for the parents if we buy food in forex because most suppliers offer discounts for foreign currency purchases,” said the school head.
Primary and Secondary ministry spokesperson Mr Taungana Ndoro reiterated the Government’s position that no school should force any parent to pay fees in foreign currency.
Mr Taungana Ndoro“The Government policy clearly states that no parent should be forced to pay fees in foreign currency. The charges should be converted using the bank rate. Parents should make it their responsibility to report any school forcing them to pay in foreign currency,” Mr Ndoro said. – @flora_sibanda
Article Source: The Chronicle