Harare (New Ziana) -The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has reiterated its warning to schools and teachers against conducting paid for extra lessons and selling homework books to pupils.
Director of communication and advocacy, Taungana Ndoro said the Ministry is inundated with calls from parents who are complaining about these practices.
There are complaints that most teachers have devised a plan to supplement their salaries through doing homework booklets using photocopied materials and selling them to parents, who have no choice but to buy as they want their children to pass.
The teachers are also charging for extra lessons, again burdening parents who are also hard pressed by the difficult economic situation wrought on the country by illegal sanctions which some Western countries imposed.
Ndoro said the Ministry is on record warning headmasters and teachers to refrain from paid for extra lessons and any culprits that are caught will face the long arm of the law.
He added that the Ministry has made it clear that it is criminal abuse of office to solicit for paid for extra lessons as all teaching should be done during normal hours.
“It is like you are bribing parents and say I will only do my job if you pay me for extra lessons. We have made it abundantly clear to everyone that anybody who continues to defy the Ministry directive with regard to paid for extra lessons risk will be sanctioned.
“Most teachers create a need for extra lessons and disadvantage the children who have not paid for them.”
Parents pay school fees, buy uniforms and stationery yet some unscrupulous teachers want them to also pay for extra lessons.
Ndoro said the Ministry conducts random inspections in schools throughout the country on a regular basis to ensure that they are operating in terms of the rules and regulations.
“It is the mandate of every school and teacher to provide quality and relevant education to pupils as expected by the government,” he said.
New Ziana
