Rusununguko High School, owned by ZANU PF and located near Goromonzi, has come under fire for demanding up to US$120 per child as top-up fees without prior consultation with parents and guardians, reported ZimLive.
According to a notice sent by CEO Maone Veremu via a WhatsApp group, the school was asking for a US$30 top-up from students whose entire term fees of US$605 were initially paid in US dollars.
For those who opted to deposit US$400 and pay the remaining US$205 in ZiG at the interbank rate, a US$120 top-up was being requested.
Veremu explained that this decision was made to address a deficit caused by the recent sharp decline in the value of the ZiG.
He said the supplementary budget was aimed at covering the costs of running the school’s diesel generator, which he claimed consumes 140 litres of fuel daily, operating from 2 AM to 8:30 PM.
He further stated that the generator has become the primary source of energy for the school due to ongoing power outages in the country.
Veremu asserted that the decision had been approved by both the District Schools Council (DSC) and school authorities, with parents expected to pay the top-up by Saturday, October 26, 2024.
However, in a subsequent development, the school announced that it would charge a uniform US$30 top-up fee for all learners. In correspondence seen by ZimLive, ZimFep’s director of communication wrote:
The responsible authority ZimFep has approved the fee top-up of US$30 per learner to enable the school to complete the term.
The plight of the parents has been considered at the same time not compromising the welfare of the learners.
A parent with children at the school felt relieved but still sceptical when Rusununguko High School suddenly reduced the extra fee from $120 to $30 without explaining why.
Rusununguko High School in Melfort outside Harare is operated by the Zimbabwe Foundation for Education with Production (ZimFep), an education wing under ZANU PF.
Unlike Rusununguko, other schools under ZimFep haven’t asked for any extra fees.
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