The extra lessons blame game: What needs to be done.

Extra lessons have previously been used to improve academic performance and achievements of learners mostly in public schools.

This concept began as a solution for slow learners, who fail to grasp issues during normal learning hours and this was done without extra payment from parents or guardians.

The idea of extra lessons was to give time to slow learners who failed to catch up with others during normal school hours.

The teachers would do the extra lessons wholeheartedly until all the learners reach almost the same level.

Civil servants have been on record that they are disgruntled about poor remuneration and poor working conditions as their salaries are way below the poverty datum line. Salary negotiations have been going on for years and it seems the employees and their employer are failing to reach an agreement.

In the education sector, disgruntled teachers found their own way of supplementing income through illegal inclass extra lessons which are being conducted during working hours in school premises.

The impression given through extra lessons is that only those who pay money can have access to quality education as compared to those who can’t.

Parents have been left at the mercy of teachers, who have been demanding payment for these extra lessons.

The available option is either to make the extra payment or else the learner won't get attention.

The major challenge with extra lessons is not only about their illegality, but how they have been perpetuating discrimination among learners coming from poor families and those from richer ones.

Several parents have highlighted how learners have been treated differently based on whether they paid for extra lessons or not.

The amount being charged ranges between US$10 and US$30 per month, which is not affordable to many considering the economic hardships that the generality of parents face.

Discrimination of learners is a deprivation of their right to education as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

The right to education is so crucial because it has the power to transform people's lives and break the cycle of poverty.

Education allows citizens to understand other rights and demand transparency and accountability from duty bearers.

Parents are left in a difficult situation whether to report teachers for this conduct and where.

Limited knowledge about reporting mechanisms has been a major setback for affected learners or parents to make formal complaints.

Reporting to school heads is not a good option as they are allegedly part of the network allowing the extra lessons to be conducted in classes.

Lack of trust in the institutions mandated to curb lawlessness makes it more difficult for affected people to make formal reports.

In the past, teachers used to conduct remedial lessons which benefited learners of average performance.

The teachers used to be passionate about their work such that they could identify the weaknesses of each learner until their performance improved. These remedial lessons can be resumed if the teachers are motivated to do their work.

Teachers have been illegally earning money from extra lessons for some time now and have been giving divided attention to learners, which is unacceptable.

A suggestion from some parents is that they are wiling to make an arrangement at school level to pay a reasonable amount as incentives to the teachers.

This suggestion is that instead of paying between US$20 and US$30 to teachers for extra lessons monthly, the parents would pay at least US$5 to the school and keep the teachers in class while all learners would get equal access to quality education.

Some parents felt it was high time that they supported teachers for the benefit of their children.

Schools can come up with income generating projects and use the income to pay incentives to teachers.

Some income generating projects can be poultry, market gardening and making use of school tuckshops.

The projects can vary from place to place and conducting a thorough market research should be done before setting up the business activities.

Sandra Matendere