By Rainos Mukanya
Zimbabwe – The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZHLR) called on headmasters and school authorities not to turn away children from school for non payment of school as it is unconstitutional.
In a press statement the human rights body said the new constitution makes it illegal for school authorities to exclude children from school for non payment of school fees.
‘The exclusion of children for non-payment of school fees is unconstitutional,’ read the statement.
ZLHR says despite the new constitution, schools throughout the country have continued to turn away children for non-payment of fees a situation that has led to an increase in the number of pupils dropping out of school.
‘Notwithstanding the new constitutional dispensation, throughout the country, there continues to be alarming tales of children being turned away from school due to failure to pay school fees. This has consequently led to an increase in numbers of children dropping out of school altogether,’ added the statement.
The ZLHR have also called on the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to ensure that schools respected the rights of children as enshrined in the constitution.
The statement comes as Zimbabwean schools prepare to open for the second term next week.
The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Lazarus Dokora has already issued a directive barring school authorities from turning away children for non-payment of school fees saying schools should use alternative ways of claiming unpaid fees from parents such as the use of debt collectors. Some schools in the rural areas are reportedly taking parents to chiefs in an attempt to recover unpaid fees.
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