Parents, church in wrangle over school

PARENTS and guardians of pupils at Tshelanyemba High School in Kezi are engaged in a bid to wrestle the school from the custody of the Salvation Army Church and have it handed over to Matobo Rural District Council.

They are accusing the church of neglecting the school’s welfare. The disgruntled parents have since written to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education requesting it to facilitate the handing over of the school to the local authority.

Sunday News is in possession of the letter in which the parents say the handing over of the school to council should be done on 3 May 2018 before schools open for the second term.

The parents and guardians are accusing the church of failing to contribute towards the development of the school despite collecting 15 percent premium from tuition fees.

“Tshelanyemba High School parents took the decision to cut ties with the Salvation Army Church as the responsible authority and have Matobo Rural District Council as the school’s responsible authority,” reads part of the letter signed by the parents.

The parents said the agreement to sever ties with the church was reached on 11 October 2016 and was endorsed on 7 December the same year.

“The decision (was reached) after among other reasons was the failure of the Salvation Army Church to contribute anything towards the infrastructure development of the school since its inception, yet the church was collecting 15 percent from tuition fees.” The parents further allege: “The whole burden of the development of the school was carried by the parents, in brick moulding, bringing river sand, pit sand, quarry and paying the builders being assisted by the Government of Zimbabwe with Building Aid in Grant.”

According to the parents, the church has been making spirited efforts to sabotage infrastructure development projects being initiated by the School Development Committee, working with the local traditional leadership.

The SDC, with the help of the Zimbabwe National Army 1 Infantry Brigade, is working on the construction of two by 100 board dormitories for boys and girls and a 200-seater dining hall.

“The Salvation Army Church, apart from contributing nothing since the project began in April 2017, is busy sabotaging every stage of the development of this project, using Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education officials,” the parents allege.

In 2016 the parents wrote to Matobo RDC requesting that the local authority takes the schools in its custody.

Matobo RDC responded in the same year urging the parents to convene a meeting and invite the church together with council to discuss the matter and agree on a way forward.

The conflict between parents and the Salvation Army Church dates back to 1991 when the parents accused the church of breaching a number of agreements made at the school’s inception in 1981.

Then, the parents accused the church of, among other things, misusing funds, refusing to pay school business telephone bills and failure to account for the per capita grants of 1981 to 1988 amounting to $4 000 per annum.

Efforts to get a comment from the Salvation Army were fruitless.