The government has issued warned owners of unregistered schools operating in backyards, that they will face prosecution unless they formalise their operations.
In an interview with <a href="https://www.zbcnews.co.zw/unregistered-schools-put-on-notice/">ZBC News</a> during an event celebrating the private sector’s contributions to the country’s education system held over the weekend, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Torerai Moyo said unregistered schools fail to meet required standards, which ultimately prejudices learners. He said:
<blockquote>
We have also allowed private players, individuals, corporates, everyone through a public-private partnership to provide the best education in Zimbabwe.
My message to those who want to introduce private colleges is we want them to regularise their operations, they need to register with the ministry. We are the regulators so they are going to respect the laws of the country.
Those who are not registered should stay away from providing quality, from providing, opening their schools because the law will be applied against those who are operating illegally.
</blockquote>
The event also featured a ceremony recognising and awarding students and teachers who excelled in various fields.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

The government is warning owners of backyard schools that are not registered. They need to follow the rules or they could get in trouble. The Minister of Education said that unregistered schools are not good for students. Private schools need to register with the government. During a ceremony, students and teachers who did well were recognized and awarded. It's important for schools to follow the law and provide quality education. The government is making sure everyone follows the rules to keep students safe and learning well.

Government Warns Unregistered Backyard School Owners

The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Torerai Moyo, has said the Government will soon shut down all unregistered private schools.
Responding to questions from journalists during a Post Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, Moyo said all private schools should be registered or else they will soon face closure. He said (<a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/unregistered-schools-face-closure-2/">via The Herald</a>):
<blockquote>
The Government plans to ensure that we establish as many schools as possible because we have a deficit in terms of the number of schools. The latest information is that we have a shortage of close to 2 800 schools.
The shortage has seen the proliferation and mushrooming of schools which we want to define as private.
I have to be very clear, the private schools that we want must be registered with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
Those that are mushrooming in the high-density suburbs in the majority of cases, are illegal schools because they are not registered. They are operating illegally.
</blockquote>
Moyo said he will soon present a paper before Cabinet that will result in all unregistered schools being shut down. He said:
<blockquote>
In fact, we are going to come up with a paper that I will present in Cabinet where we are going to outlaw those schools, perhaps we might give them a grace period depending on what Cabinet would have recommended. We are going to close all the illegal schools operating illegally.
As a Ministry, we are supposed to ensure that there is quality, equitable and inclusive education. But in the so-called private school that we have seen, somebody will have a school in his or her backyard, and learners are squeezed or jam-packed in a very small room and chances of diseases spreading are high because the condition compromises quality.
Those are the schools that we do not want. We want private schools to be registered according to the specifications of the Ministry where we can control the quality.
</blockquote>
In 2022, authorities shut down 320 out of 448 schools and colleges in Harare that were operating illegally.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Unregistered Private Schools To Be Shut Down - Education Minister

Harare Metropolitan Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Tafadzwa Muguti has given a 48-hour ultimatum to unregistered schools to regularise their operations or risk being shut down.
Muguti claimed that there are over four hundred (400) schools in Harare that are operating in violation of the Education Act as they are not licensed.
Some of the unregistered schools and colleges are reportedly offering Early Childhood Development (ECD) to A level studies.
Muguti also warned schools against unilaterally hiking tuition fees in defiance of a government directive to seek approval. Said Muguti:
<blockquote>
We have discovered that over 400 schools are operating without licenses, they are doing so in breach of the Education Act.
This put to risk the future of thousands of students who could fail to write their exams. This will not be allowed to continue while government sit and watch.
</blockquote>
The majority of schools that are in the habit of raising fees willy nilly are private schools while most of the unlicenced learning institutions are located in medium and high-density suburbs.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.zbcnews.co.zw/more-than-400-illegal-schools-face-closure/">ZBC News</a></h4>

More Than 400 Schools In Harare Face Closure

Some serving and retired teachers in Harare are clandestinely conducting private lessons despite a ban on public gatherings imposed by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The backyard schools are operating mainly in high-density suburbs with the pupils mostly Grade Seven, Ordinary and Advanced Level students who are set to sit for their national examinations.
In Harare, Kuwadzana, Mabvuku, Dzivaresekwa, Hopley, Tynwald, Glen View and Warren Park top the list of suburbs with backyard schools.
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) claims that there could be more than 1 200 makeshift schools operating across the country.
Arnold Chirikure, who conducts private lessons in Kuwadzana, told The Sunday Mail that he has put measures in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He said:
<blockquote>Education has to carry on. We maintain social distancing and we have since contributed money to buy hand sanitizer that we apply before commencing studies.
I charge as little as US$7 per month for each child. I have since employed two qualified teachers.</blockquote>
Schools were scheduled to reopen on May 5, but reports indicate that the government will push the date forward as the country deals with the coronavirus pandemic.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/greedy-teachers-tempting-covid-19-fate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Sunday Mail</a></h4>

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