Zim’s pre-schools: Cost vs service

2401-1-1-IMAGETalent Gore Features Writer —
Wholesome early childhood development experiences are essential prerequisites for later success in school, the workplace, and the community. Quality education is critical in the formative years of a child. The ability to read and write properly, the confidence to get up and talk in front of people as well as socialise with peers are some of the skills best developed in the early years of a child’s learning.

As such parents who wish their children to excel in life are inclined to place them in a learning environment they can fully develop these abilities.

However, of late the tuition fees of several pre-schools has risen and become pricier than that of some universities. This has made life difficult for some parents to enrol their children in early learning institutions.

Forty-three-year-old Getrude Siwela, a mother of five, bemoaned the fact that she has been finding it difficult to send her three-year-old child to pre-school.

“My husband died two years ago and since then taking care of my children has been a great challenge. The youngest has just started pre-school which I am struggling to afford as my other children also need school fees,” she said.

Two of the five children are in high school, with the other starting grade five this year.

“I work as a house maid in Greendale and my monthly salary is not enough for me to cater for all my children.

“With regards to pre-schools, most of the ones in this area are quite expensive and are only for the rich.

“Coronation Pre-school, the nearest to where I stay costs $200 per month excluding transport and food.

“That is more than what I have to pay for my other children in primary and secondary school per term. People who own these schools should take into consideration the kind of economy we are living in,” she said

Mrs Siwela complained that some of the pre-schools in her area were not up to their advertised standards and do not have proper security.

“These pre-schools tell you they offer certain activities but they are lying. For example, some brochures say they have computer classes but if you enter their computer lab you’ll find there are three or less computers, which means there will be six or seven children per computer.

“For swimming lessons, you are expected to pay an additional fee over and above the tuition fees. This is not advertised as being the case prior to enrolment and for some parents like myself, this is too much. For every activity offered they require more money,” she said

Another parent, Mrs Tendai Chireru, said a number kindergartens made false advertising as many of the services they offered incurred an extra charge on top of the stipulated tuition fee of $300 per month.

“Pre-schools are milking parents countrywide. After paying the $300 school fees, parents still have to fork out more money for activities and sometimes even groceries.

“In addition to what is paid for the education, you must pay for transport per month, buy food, pay for trips and purchase learning materials.

“I don’t understand why they cannot cater for some of these things, especially food. Each month parents are bringing full groceries to the pre-school which I suspect are being diverted for personal use by those running the school because it is a lot of food,” she said.

A Harare-based pre-school head who spoke on condition of anonymity said the issue lay in the fact that parents were choosing pre-schools on the basis of prestige.

“Parents should look for and bring their children to affordable pre-schools as we have the same qualified and experienced staff as the elite early learning institutions that many seek out,” he said.

Cambridge Pre-school head Mrs Abigail Green said most pre-schools were privately-owned and did not have fees set for them by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.

“There are no set fees for these pre-schools, that is why we charge high levies. Some pre-schools are affordable depending on one’s level of income, but for those run by private individuals, the charges will likely be higher.

“Once the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education approves a pre-school, the school enters into a contract with the parents under which they agree on certain fees,” she said.

It is believed that those operating pre-schools are making a lot of money from this business and this has accounts for a huge increase in their numbers over the past few years.

In a survey conducted by The Herald, there were glaring differences in the price and services offered between pre-schools in different areas of Harare.

Coronation Pre-school in Harare’s leafy Greendale suburb levies $200 per month excluding transport and food. In contrast, Royal Comfort Crèche in Glen View 7 charges $100 per month, which includes transport to and from home.

Mother Touch Crèche in New Marimba charges $500 per term. Sunderland Pre-School in Belvedere requires a child to pay $200 per month while Sunrise Pre-school in Milton Park asks for $480 per term.

A number of other pre-schools set their fees in a similar range of between $500 and $600 per term excluding transport and groceries. This makes pre-schools slightly more expensive than primary or secondary education and in some instances universities

A primary or high school student attending a government school in high density areas pays between $100 and $200 per term. First year students at the University of Zimbabwe pay at least $515 per semester while those at the Zimbabwe Open University pay $480 per semester.

The quality of some of the pre-schools has been questioned given that what they advertise is different from what they offer due to the additional fees that need to be paid.

Educationist and senior lecturer in the Department of Technical Education Dr Peter Kwaira said preschool education was generally expensive as these institutions cater for young children who require more attention.

“Kindergarten education is pricey because at that stage you need more than just a teacher but a child minder.

“You are dealing with people who need assistance for almost everything from going to the toilet, eating, as well as assisting them to go to sleep.

“So the costs at pre-schools are justified because the task there is more than what you do at higher stages of learning,” he said.

He however, added pre-schools should consider the state of the economy when they set their fees.

“Despite the fact pre-scholars need assistance for almost everything that they do, pre-schools should lower their tuition fees because many parents are faced with challenges financially.”

He advised parents to look for quality, not prestige, when they send their children to private schools.

“It is not a new phenomenon that education is expensive,” said Dr Kwaira. “Here in Zimbabwe, education is more expensive in the private institutions.

“People are transferring their children to these private pre-schools because they think their children can get better education. However, I think what they should look for is quality, not the satisfaction that their child is learning at an expensive school.”

Some of the pre-schools also offer Early Childhood Development (ECD) A and B, which is also offered in government schools for a lower fee.

Since 2004, Zimbabwe has a national Early Childhood Development policy that requires primary schools to offer two levels of ECD classes for children aged between 3 and 5 years.

The policy has seen the education sector in Zimbabwe recognising that ECD can contribute significantly to nurturing of young children in various aspects including physical, social, emotional, intellectual, cultural and spiritual.

Statistics from the 2014 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) show about 22 percent of children aged 36-59 months are attending an organised early childhood education programme.

The proportion of children aged 36-59 months attending an organised early childhood education programme was 26,2 percent in urban areas compared to 20,1 percent in rural areas.

Statistics also show that among children age 36-39 months, attendance in early childhood education programmes was highest in Manicaland Province (26,5 percent) and lowest in Midlands Province (14 percent).

In the age group 48-59 months, 34,6 percent were attending early childhood education programmes compared to only 10,3 percent in the 36-47 months age group.

Zimbabwe is revered as an academic country and as such, the education sector recognises Early Childhood Development (ECD) which continues to contribute to nurturing of children at various levels.

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