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Education for all! A broken promise of 1980!
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
January 14, 2005

• Before We Vote In 2005 Chigwedere Must Go
• Our Children Have The Right To Demand An Education and Government Must Be Responsible For The Running Of Schools And Paying Salaries!

In the first 20 years after Independence we built our education system up and by the year 2000, over 90 % of children went to school. Since then we have turned the best education system into a social catastrophe. By 2003, only 65% of children enjoyed schooling. The author of the catastrophe is current Minister of Education, Comrade Chigwedere. We are not announcing a civvies day to raise funds we are saying enough is enough and calling for a Protest Day. Before we vote in 2005 Chigwedere must go as he has failed to deliver!

This right is also in The African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and in our Education Act. The international community also undertook to provide EDUCATION FOR ALL by 2015 and an equal number of boys and girls in school by year 2005! According to the United Nations, as recently as 2000, 90% of young Zimbabweans went to primary school. The highest attendance in Africa. But by 2003 that figure has plummeted, to only 65%. (Source The Zimbabwe Standard article by B. Philips)

CHIGWEDERE HAS NOT FOUGHT HARD ENOUGH FOR A GOOD BUDGET ALLOCATION. HE CANNOT REBUILD THE EDUCATION SYSTEM WITH PEANUTS!

Government money spent on schools almost all goes to teachers’ salaries – they give the schools nothing for books, stationery, buildings, maintenance, sports, equipment, cleaning etc. To keep the schools running, parents have to pay for everything else! WHY IS GOVERNMENT NOT ALLOCATING ENOUGH MONEY FOR OUR EDUCATION? BAD POLICIES HAVE DESTROYED THE ECONOMY. Little money is allocated to the Education Budget. The rest is spent on the wrong things i.e. Buying votes, National service, Cars for chiefs and headmasters. On Tuesday 11 January 2005, how many children will be sent home for non payment of school fees whilst on the same day the Zimbabwe secret services will spend one billion dollars they managed to win from the state budget.

It is every parent’s responsibility to send their children to school and it is the Government’s responsibility to provide an education. You may not be able to pay up but you have a voice to speak out. Join the Protest Day to help demand a better future for Zimbabwe. Protest at your local School. Protest at Ministry of Education offices! Tell Chigwedere to PACK and GO.

We have debated on whether to regard School headmasters as friends or enemies. School Development Associations and parents seem to carry more burdens on their shoulders and school heads need to show us that they are committed to educating our children. They must help us to remind the Government that they promised us free primary education and affordable senior schooling. For the first 20 years we had one of the highest enrollments in Africa. We have had enough and are calling for a Day of Protest and are telling Chigwedere to PACK and GO!

What happens to the millions raised from Civvies Day, Yellow Day, and Fun Day?
About $6000 is expected for each child. Four classes in each grade x 7 Grades, bringing an estimate to 1260 children contributing $7 million? In one school last term there were 3 ‘days’ in succession demanding a contribution from parents. Children who did not pay up were told they would not get their school report. Sponsorship Forms is another area of disgruntlement. Children are given forms of 25 lines and told to raise at least $ 500 per name. If the children do not raise this money the parents are made to pay up.

LEVIES: Levies are always on the increase but where do those millions go? Children are now even told to bring toilet paper to school. Now there is a special Levy – where does it go? We have to contribute $2000 per child per week for firewood to cook donated porridge, as we cannot afford food in our homes. $2000 per child, 45 children per class comes to $ 90000, never mind that approximately 1260 children will pay that $2000 raising at least $2 million. Surely just $ 50000 worth of firewood is enough to cook for 1260 children? What happens to the rest? Some parents complained that they have to pay a Water bill. Parents contributed but the water is still off. Children now have to bring their own drinking water to school. Some parents have complained that a Grade One enrollment fee is too high.

TEACHERS SALARIES: The Government promised us free primary education but now we are paying to train the teachers. Is this true? If it is not why are parents given this impression?
Government must clear up the confusion about the payment of teachers’ salaries.

BOOKS: There are no textbooks and exercise books for each child: Some parents have to buy text books and all parents now have to buy exercise books – gone are the days when Government used to respect us and provide exercise books. Text books can be shared by up to 10 children living at least 5 kilometres apart, meaning they have to do their homework and then walk to hand over the book to the next child and so on. We know that printing costs have gone up and up but there is need for consultation to find a way forward.

RURAL SCHOOLS: Reports received from Matabeleland. A notice in the Clinic saying that parents who have not paid school fees will be denied access to the Clinic. From Mashonaland a report being investigated is that money made available for building is possibly not being used correctly. Headmasters are said to be punishing latecomers by making them fetch and carry river sand and bricks, denying children access to learning. The same person also reported that children who do not own proper school shoes have their other shoes confiscated if they wear them to school.

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