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WOZA members engage schools in Bulawayo directly on education issues
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
March 23, 2009

Members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) directly engaged schools in Bulawayo today on issues of education today as part of an ongoing campaign to demand affordable education for all children. Community-based demonstrations were held at five schools in Bulawayo whilst representative groups met with school heads at another five schools to outline the concerns of parents. Today's activities will be duplicated across Bulawayo at other schools in coming days.

At all schools, members were protesting against the extra demands placed on parents by schools, in particular the demand for stationery and cleaning materials. In most schools, each child is instructed to bring several items of stationery for the teacher and also several items of cleaning materials or groceries for the school. Many children have been chased away from schools for not bringing these items, even if school fees have been paid. Teachers at some schools are also demanding extra money for lunch or transport from each child in their class. All of these demands are on top of the gazetted school fees and stationery and uniform needs of each child.

The five schools targeted in today's protest were selected because of the high number of complaints by parents about the demands from that particular school.

At Pumula High School, approximately 70 parents met at the school gates to peacefully protest the outrageously high demands placed upon them by the school. Five representatives of the group were welcomed by the headmistress who accepted the petitions and flyers and promised not to send home any pupils who had not paid school fees.

In Nkulumane, nearly 100 parents protested at Nkulumane High School whilst three representatives were sent to deliver the petitions and flyers. Those left outside the school carried on singing "umtwana uyakhala, ukhalela imfudo" (the child is crying, crying for an education.) The representatives were well received. The headmaster promised that no pupils would be sent home for non-payment of school fees although he stressed that parents should see the relevant authorities if they are unable to pay. He also mentioned that
the City Council is now demanding 20 litres of fuel to cut grass and as much as he would like school fees to be affordable to all, headmasters were just implementers, not policy makers.

In Pelindaba, 120 members marched to Induba Primary School amidst encouragement from bystanders. Five representatives were sent in to deliver the petition and flyers which were wrapped like a gift. Only three could see the headmistress as there was a shortage of chairs in her office. The headmistress addressed them promising not to send any pupils home if the fees are not paid but encouraged parents to buy exercise books for their children.

In Mpopoma, the two schools selected as targets, Mpopoma High School and Gampu Primary School, were compromised as around 20 riot police were seen waiting within the vicinity. Members decided to reconvene at Lukanyiso Primary School and Msitheli Secondary School where both authorities welcomed and addressed the representatives who presented them with petitions and flyers. Both authorities commended WOZA for the good work it is doing. The headmaster at Msitheli Secondary School explained that the 'civvies' day money was to kick start the school facilities and buy sundries for the running of the school. He explained that they did not have permanent staff as they had left without any notice. He also addressed members who were singing and chanting slogans outside the school, promising that their children would no longer be sent home because parents failed to pay fees.

In addition to the peaceful protests, representative groups of parents also engaged with the heads of schools at other schools in their area, delivering the petitions and flyers and outlining the concerns of parents. In Pumula, the reception was not very cordial at Amaswazi and Malindela Primary Schools for the representative groups. At Malindela, the headmaster refused to meet with the five parents selected (although they were able to leave the petitions and flyers in his office). At Amaswazi, the headmaster insisted that he did not understand the petitions or what the members were demanding. He asked them to return at another time to explain it to him. He has since called a meeting of all parents that signed the petition for tomorrow morning (Tuesday).

Headmasters were more receptive in Nkulumane with heads at both Ihlathi High School and Maphisa Primary School welcoming the representative groups cordially and listening to their concerns. As with the headmaster at Nkulumane High School, the heads at Ihlathi and Maphisa promised that no children would be sent away for non-payment of fees. The headmaster of Ihlathi also commended WOZA for doing a great job in fighting for human rights.

In Mabutweni, representatives visited Nsukamini Primary School despite the fact that plain-clothed police officers were observed entering the school premises. The headmaster received the group cordially and explained that he was open to engagement with parents but he did not want a demonstration at the gates of his school that is why he called the police. There was no incident and the parents dispersed peacefully.

These protests follow a meeting between Minister of Education David Coltart and nearly 300 WOZA members last week where members again outlined their concerns to the Minister. The Minister took pains to explain to the parents present what fees and levies should cover and also explained some of difficulties facing his ministry. He listened attentively to the concerns raised by those present and asked for patience from parents.

Please see below a copy of the text of the petition being handed in at schools, copies of which have also been handed in to Minister Coltart.

Copy of petition:

To: Minister of Education, Arts, Sports and Culture - Honourable David Coltart
Copy to: School Head and Chairperson of SDA

Honourable Minister Coltart

On 24th February 2009, leader of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) met with you to advise you that members of WOZA are unhappy with the state of education in our country. We feel that parents have carried the education system on their heads for several years now. They are not receiving their right to an education because there have been not enough or no teachers present or proper lessons given. Our children have suffered as a result of adult hatred and intolerance. We feel that this new government must put our children's education first.

We thank you for advertising the school fees in the newspaper. Unfortunately many of us cannot afford to pay the advertised fees. The fees are also just a small part of the total amount being demanded of parents of their children's education.

The demands from school are not torture for us. Parents are being asked for additional amounts of money in the form of levies, as well as stationary, cleaning materials and teaching aids; even money for teachers' transport and lunch. Below is a list of concerns our leaders have already raised with you. Please you cannot suck blood out of a stone.

• We ask school officials if they genuine about teaching our children because all they seem to be doing is chasing them away. Children are being chased away from school for no clear reason including no school uniforms or school shoes.
• The demands by schools for EACH CHILD in class to provide teachers with stationery are also unreasonable. These include pens, 196-page counter books, reams of newsprint and bond paper, dustless chalk, receipt books, ink for stamp pads, manila for charts, text books and exercise books. Children are chased away from school if they do not bring these items.
• Also unreasonable is for EACH CHILD to have to bring floor polish, harpic, jik, handy andy, washing powder, six rolls of toilet paper and bars of soap. It is not clear what is happening to all these cleaning materials , as the schools remain dirty.
• We are also not happy that teachers demand bus fare or 'entrance fee' into the classroom from every child in the class. Some teachers demand money for lunch - 50 Rand per month from each child in the class. Children are chased if they do not bring these items.
• On top of all of this, parents are expected to pay for civvies days and other 'days' without knowing what the money is being used for.
• All of these extra demands, on top of the stationery and uniform needs of our own children, means most parents cannot afford to send their children to school, regardless of what the fees are.

We ask you to do the following as a matter of urgency:

1. Be honest with what schools can deliver and tell us what cannot be done.
2. Give instructions that no child must be chased away from school.
3. Stop the civvies and any other fundraising days.
4. Make a policy statement about levies and other charges so both school officials and parents know what is allowed and what is not permitted. Government education is now becoming privatised and commercialised by school officials.
5. Make a policy statement about what the fee announced by government covers. It is only teacher's salaries or is it everything?
6. We demand a new education assistance module urgently - we cannot afford to educate our children.
7. Without some clarity of policy and discipline among school officials, 2009 is going to be another wasted year and will be the end of the road for many children's education.

Please take our request seriously; millions of children's lives are in your hands. We have sacrificed to bring our children to this stage and sometimes even starve them today so that they can go to school for a better tomorrow.

Enough is enough!

News update
Wednesday 25th March

Two WOZA members, Patricia Ndlovu, aged 53, and Georgina Muzaza, aged 84, were arrested yesterday whilst trying to engage the Headmistress of Mpumelelo Primary School. They spent the night at Bulawayo Central Police Station last night. They are still in custody. They have been charged under Section 37 1 (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act - 'participating in gathering with intent to promote public violence, breaches of the peace or bigotry'.

Members had gathered outside Mpumelelo Primary School in Mpopoma as part of the ongoing engagement with school authorities over unreasonable demands on parents from schools. The headmistress, Mrs Chibelu, kept the representatives waiting in her office whilst she called the police. The two women, both of whom have grandchildren attending Mpumelelo, were arrested outside the gates.

The arrested members were taken to Western Commonage Police Station where they were detained for two hours before being taken to Bulawayo Central Police. Attempts by defence lawyer, Kossam Ncube to get them released into his custody because of their age were denied by Detective Chief Inspector Mpofu of Law and Order Unit and they were detained overnight.

Meanwhile, WOZA parents met with school authorities at Godlwayo and Dumezweni Primary Schools in Pumula where they were assured that they will not send children away for non-payment. At Mahlabi Primary in Tshabalala, the representatives were also promised by the headmaster that no pupils would be sent home for failure to pay fees or civvies days.

In Mabutweni, the headmistresses at Ingubo and Insukamini Primary Schools welcomed the representative groups, listened to their concerns and received their petitions. Both authorities emphasized that they were not chasing any pupils for failure to pay fees as this was a directive from the Ministry of Education. The headmistress at Insukamini said they have civvies day once in a while and she would not chase any pupils if they did not have the money to pay. She highlighted that pupils in her school are not asked to purchase toiletries, stationery or sundries for the school. She commended the way members had gathered around the school in silence and sent in their representatives. She invited members who have children in the school to attend a parents meeting on 25 March.

Meanwhile, headmasters of two schools in Pumula that had been visited yesterday, Malindela and Amaswazi Primary Schools, called a meeting of all parents that had signed the petition and assured them that children would not be sent away from school for not bringing groceries or stationery.

WOZA is deeply concerned by the actions of the headmistress of Mpumelelo Primary School in calling the police when parents at her school merely wished to raise concerns with the school authorities. The arrest and detention of two women, one aged 84 years old, for wanting to discuss their concerns as parents with the headmaster of the school that their grandchildren attend is further evidence that very little has changed on the ground for ordinary Zimbabweans and is an outrage.

Please phone Bulawayo Central Police Station and ask Detective Chief Inspector Mpofu of Law and Order Unit why it is necessary to detain elderly women and demand their immediate release. +263 9
72515/61706/63061/68078

News update
Wednesday 25th March - 12pm

The two members that were arrested yesterday at Mpumelelo Primary School in Mpopoma have been released. They were taken to court this morning but the prosecutor dismissed the case against them.

Meanwhile, members visited another seven schools in Bulawayo, bringing the total to 23 schools visited in the past few days.

At Ingwengwe and Babamberi Primary Schools in Pumula, the authorities welcomed the representatives and encouraged parents with grievances to continue to engage the school through parents meetings. Both headmasters promised to look into the complaints. At Amhlophe Secondary School, also in Pumula, the authorities were unavailable to engage the representatives but the Teacher In Charge took the protests and flyers and emphasized that no pupils were being sent home for failure to pay fees.

At Mtshede Primary School in Njube and Sikhulile High School in Lobengula, members were again welcomed by both authorities who empathised with the parents and promised to look into the issues raised.

This was repeated at Lotshe Primary School in Makokoba and Sobukhazi High School in Mzilikazi. Mr. Hlabangene of Lotshe Primary School even went outside to address the other members who were waiting outside the gate. He said the community need to be involved in the development of the school. A sentiment repeated by the headmaster at Sobukhazi who encouraged parents to engage with the school about any concerns they may have and not to keep quiet about ideas on ideas of developing the school.

WOZA would like to commend all the school authorities who took the time to listen to the concerns raised by parents at their schools. We hope that they will investigate the complaints made and respond positively. Meanwhile, we continue to urge all parents to engage with schools about any concerns they may have and to speak out about issues affecting their children.

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