An education official has said the government has not yet approved online school fees for private schools and the onset of virtual leaning at most private schools does not signify or translate to the beginning of the second term, The Chronicle reports.
This was revealed by Bulawayo Provincial Education Director (PED) Mrs Olicah Kaira who said those that want to charge fees for virtual learning were supposed to get permission from the ministry or offer the service for free:
We don’t want to hear anything to do with payment of fees. We are still on lockdown, schools are closed. Those demanding fees are demanding fees for which term? If you want to charge for anything you want to do in registered schools be it Government or private schools, they operate using the Education Act. It is the principal Act of the Ministry. It is very clear people should seek authorisation
Mrs Kaira said other schools like Girls College and Petra were using Google Classrooms and have communicated that no one is supposed to pay for the service, a development she felt must universally apply in all schools that are conducting online classes. Schools are reportedly threatening parents that if they don’t pay the designated online school fees they will have to pay more or their children will be excluded from learning.
More: The Chronicle