Chaotic reopening of schools in Mutare

SYDNEY SAIZE IN MUTARE

The start of the new school term for children in Mutare was chaotic as some parents struggled to secure places for their children especially those seeking Grades one and Form One places, Business Times can report.

Other parents had their children, who returned to schools after months of remote learning, sent away for not paying school fees. Even those that had made part payment were also sent home.

Some parents, who spoke to this newspaper, blamed the confusion on the prolonged lockdown as a deterrent for them to source money for school fees. Others said they could not register their children for enrollment in time as schools were closed.

‘’I am self-employed, I sell second hand clothing and during the lockdown it was impossible to work as markets were closed and movement was restricted.

 How on earth could I be expected to get money for fees let alone to feed my family,’’ a Mutare resident, Christopher Chinoda, whose two children were sent away from school on Monday this week told Business Times.

Apart from his failure to raise the required school fees, Chinoda said he was also not able to secure a Grade One place for his other child.

‘’Some schools were shut during that (lockdown) period and registering for enrolment was made impossible,’’ he said.

Another Mutare parent Sheila Mundembe said she is distraught after failing to secure a Form One place for her daughter at a local school.

‘’I was told there were no places left despite the headmaster having promised me to come on opening day since during the lockdown the school was closed.

‘’The headmaster later blamed me that I should have applied for my child through an online application, but I do not have access to the facility and do not know how it is done,’’ complained Mundembe.

The dire situation has been worsened by the Covid-19 requirement of social distancing in classrooms as each class needs to take fewer pupils at a time.

Meanwhile, some parents are happy with the preparedness in schools as far as adhering to Covid -19 regulations with regards to proper face masking, social and physical distancing in classrooms as well as sanitisation procedures being done.

William Karwi of Greenside in Mutare said he was pleased to observe that schools were up to the task to ensure learners are protected from the Covid-19.

‘’While I failed to secure a place for my child at preferred schools in my neighbourhood, it is however, pleasing to note that they are doing all they can to abide by the set rules and regulations of WHO.

‘’The schools are doing everything by the book and if that can be maintained, I can guarantee that cases of infection will remain minimal,’’ Karwi said.

Recently, some schools in Manicaland province received consignments of Personal Protective Equipment from government partners including non-governmental organisations to assist in curtailing the infections and spread of the pandemic amongst learners and their teachers.

The Manicaland Provincial Education Director, Edward Shumba commended the gesture and called for more assistance from well-wishers to help combat the spread of the pandemic particularly in rural schools, when he received the donation on behalf of the Ministry.

Teachers who now have been identified as another grouping of frontline workers are set to be vaccinated as another measure of reducing the spread of Covid-19 in schools, vocational training centres, colleges and universities.

Manicaland province has been named third after Harare and Bulawayo provinces as having the highest cases of Covid-19.