School readmits pupils after mass expulsions 

A Harare school that expelled scores of pupils for allegedly disrupting lessons has started re-enrolling them after the move sparked outrage.

Mother Patrick Convent Primary School in Mainway Meadows on Friday started re-admitting the affected pupils.

The school was at loggerheads with parents and guardians after it threatened to expel 500 students for protesting the expulsion of their colleagues.

In a letter dated December 5, 2024 signed by the school’s acting head, Eugenia Muketiwa, parents and guardians were informed that the school would be undertaking a re-application process for all learners.

“Dear valued parents and guardians, we write to inform you that after being withdrawn from the school system due to absenteeism, the school is undertaking a re-application process for all learners on Friday December 6, 2024 at 10am,” the letter read.

The letter also stated that end-of-year report cards would be issued on the same day.

The letter stated that the application comes with an admission fee for the school to review the application.

“If you wish to re-enrol, you will be asked to submit a new application form which will be issued to you for an admission fee of US$5,” Muketiwa said.

“The school will, therefore, review your application and assess eligibility. Notification and re-enrolment will follow thereafter.”

She  said parents and guardians were required to complete their application forms by December 13 to re-enrol their children at MPCS.

The re-enrolment process is seen as a move by the school authorities to address the controversy surrounding the expulsions.

The expulsions were sparked by a teachers’ strike that began on November 19, 2024, over alleged poor working conditions and unpaid salaries and bonuses.

The strike led to the withdrawal of students from the school, which, in turn, led to the expulsions.

However, some parents and guardians have expressed scepticism about the process, citing concerns about the school’s handling of the situation.

“The fees they charge are not commensurate with the service they are discharging,” one of the parents who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

“We have even started seeing government schools posting better results than them.”

Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro said the ministry was going to have a meeting with the MPCS board, the administration, the school development committee and the parents.

The meeting, scheduled for tomorrow at the ministry offices, will seek to address and resolve the current impasse that has been affecting the Mother Patrick School community, Ndoro said.