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Wellington Dengu Herald Reporter
Government has urged private schools and colleges to register and comply with regulations on dissemination of education in the country, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Professor Paul Mavima said. In a speech read on his behalf by the Director of Strategic Policy Planning, Research and Statistics in the ministry, Mr Enoch Chinyowa during the opening of Glaudina Christian College, back-door schools are putting pupils at a disadvantage by being taught material which is not in the syllabus.

“Government should thus move in fast to outlaw these schools as most of the individuals have seen an easy way of stealing people’s hard-earned cash yet giving no value to the children and the country.

“In most instances these backyard schools are not teaching the approved syllabus and in the recommended period while no care is taken to ensure that the teachers are providing pupils with correct material for their age. In some instances, pupils in different grades are taught the same staff. That is destroying the child and cannot be allowed to continue.”

“The competence based curriculum being implemented by my ministry was embracing multi-literacy, multi-tasking, lifelong learning and competence based education for learners with great focus on practical competences necessary for life, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership and team building skills, hence the requirement of every school to meet this criterion under the close supervision of the Ministry.”

“We call upon private schools and colleges that are operating behind closed doors to formalise their institutions so that they are given guidelines by the Ministry and be liable to constructive criticism, this is rather not a witch-hunting practice, but a cause for concern to enable children to produce good results,” said Prof Mavima.

Glaudina Christian College Founder and Director Mr Claude Muzamindo applauded the Ministry for registering their school and promises to deliver to the expectations of school children.

“We complied with Ministry requirements even though it was not an overnight process, we are now a registered college so we are operating like any other school. We have since applied for an examination centre with the Zimbabwe School Examination Council in order to afford our pupils with best facilities,” he said.