Govt under fire over holiday lessons ban
GOVERNMENT has been criticised over its decision on Monday to ban vacation lessons saying that learners needed to rest after an undisturbed term.
Moreover, authorities added that teaching and learning in all schools went on seamlessly during the first term of the year, fully embracing the 56 days set aside for that process.
The ban was reinforced by police deputy Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba who warned teachers offering extra lessons to desist from such activities.
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition chairperson Peter Mutasa said government's decision to ban holiday lessons was wrong.
“There is everything wrong with a government that is failing to provide public services trying to overly regulate the same services,” said Mutasa.
“Parents and teachers must be allowed to see how they can fill up the gap the government is creating through neglect of these services.”
Similar bans on holiday lessons by the government have been ignored by both public and private schools.
Former Mount Pleasant legislator Fadzayi Mahere said there was no law which permitted the government to ban extra learning for students, especially those sitting for their examinations.
“Surely, where schools, parents and guardians deem fit, it is best to allow students to be in a controlled school environment to help them focus as they deepen their mastery of subjects, they need to do extra work. How is this ban rational?”
“Drugs are bad and must be banned. Underage drinking is bad and must be banned. But learning? Surely, you should be encouraging more learning rather than banning the quest for more education.”
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure said government's attempt to pacify their concerns by suggesting alternative learning strategies, including the utilisation of the Zimbabwe Learning Passport online platform, was nothing short of an insult to the students who are victims of the digital divide.
“We unequivocally demand that vacation school be allowed to proceed, but not as a means for profit. We vehemently condemn the ruling elite who, with their privileged offspring attending prestigious private schools and exclusive learning centres, callously deny the underprivileged masses their inherent right to education,” Masaraure said.
“It is a deplorable act of discrimination that perpetuates an unequal society, where the few enjoy every advantage while the majority languish in educational deprivation. We hold the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education accountable for this blatant disregard of the fundamental rights of Zimbabwean students. It is its duty to ensure that every student, regardless of their geographical location or economic background, has equal access to the necessary resources.”