GOVERNMENT is planning to introduce an Education Bill to tackle enrolment policies, among other issues affecting the sector.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
This was revealed by Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi last Wednesday in the National Assembly during the question-and-answer session.
He was responding to a question by MDC Alliance legislator Lynette Karenyi (proportional representation), who wanted him to explain government policy on enrolment for Form 1 pupils.
Karenyi said many Grade 7 graduates were failing to secure Form 1 places because their preferred schools were asking for higher grades.
“What the government is doing is that we are coming up with an Education Bill, and in that Bill, we are going to insist that all those learners living within the area near a school must be given first preference,” Ziyambi said.
“If they cannot get a place in that particular school that is near to their homes, then the school authorities must issue a letter so that they can go and look for places outside their zone.”
Ziyambi said once the Bill has been finalised, there would be no reason for schools to turn down learners with lower points.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“Once we have finalised that Bill, we hope that we will cure this problem whereby some learners are told they cannot be enrolled because they have 10 or so points. We want learners to be accommodated near their homes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Higher Education minister Amon Murwira said the science, technology, engineering and mathematics programme (STEM) scholarships for “A” Level students had been discontinued due to misuse of funds.
“Scholarships that were being offered to ‘A’ Level students were discontinued in the third term of 2018 due to misuse of funds in the name of STEM scholarships, and therefore, we have since stopped it. The money was used to pay private institutions,” Murwira said.
He said, instead, his ministry would give loans to students to pursue higher and tertiary education, with $50 million already set aside by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe for the loans, and $10 million having been sourced from South Africa to support students scholarships.
