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IN the past couple of days The Herald has run the harrowing tale of Belvin Chibi, pupil at a Catholic Church school named Mweyamutsvene Mission in Bocha District in Manicaland Province.

Belvin, a Form Four pupil, was barred from entering the exam room to write his end of year zimsec examinations because he could not afford a pair of shoes. Mweyamutsvene is a Shona word which roughly translates to “Holy Spirit”.

Most elderly Zimbabweans can quickly associate with Belvin. He is a rural boy who lives with his grandmother. There is no doubt that the old lady struggles to raise money for his school fees. It is a sacrifice most parents in rural Zimbabwe have to make to secure a better future for their children, and hopefully, for themselves in later years.

We have seen parents making similar sacrifices in towns and cities as Zimbabwe undergoes a major economic reorganisation to create a more inclusive society. Parents sell whatever they can lay their hands on, from second-hand clothes to tomatoes.

In rural communities, school fees are often raised from selling farm produce. Failing that, most resort to selling whatever livestock they may have, from goats to chickens. It is a taxing undertaking for the fittest man, a grim task for an old lady.

Under these conditions, uniform and shoes are taken as luxuries which can be dispensed with, or at least come last in the priority list to basics like food and school fees. That is why in the worst cases pupils drop out of school because parents or guardians cannot afford the fees. In fact, on Wednesday this week we reported that 47 000 pupils across the country had dropped out of school this year because of hunger.

Belvin’s grandmother in Bocha must have thought she was standing by the gates of Heaven as the year came to an end and her grandson was ready to sit for his ‘O’ Level examinations. She even managed to pay for the basic required five subjects. Then in came the female Christian from Hell.

At the entrance into the exam room Belvin, wearing borrowed shoes which did not match the school requirement, met Mrs Nyasha Rubende, a teacher and wife to the headmaster at Mweyamutsvene Mission. She could not bear the sight of what he was wearing. She wanted proper school shoes.

Belvin was barred entry and told the holy ground inside the exam room was not for those in borrowed footwear. He missed the first two papers. Undeterred, Belvin tried his luck the following day. The lady would not be moved. He could not enter the holy ground.

We cannot even begin to imagine the trauma and mental anguish this student must have experienced as he saw his future slip away as this Christian lady with the heart of a stone stood firmly between him and fellow pupils scribbling away in the exam room.

Away from this woman, a question arises whether there is a rule or law which requires all students to wear shoes during examinations? What would be the rationale for such a law given that pregnant students can still sit for their examinations? That would be the most ridiculous law, if it exists.

We are really saddened that Mrs Rubende’s heart could not be touched by the plight of this pupil, who we believe must have been coming to school barefoot throughout the year. And she knew it if she truly is a teacher at the school. So why would she expect the day of the examination to be any different for this boy?

We don’t expect her to have wasted her money buying this youth a pair of shoes for the exam, but still wonder why the Catholic Church and the Ministry of Education are still keeping this “Christian” from hell at Mweyamutsvene Mission!