The government is struggling to pay fees for more than one million disadvantaged school children registered under its Basic Education Assistance Model (BEAM).
This was revealed by the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Mthuli Ncube, during a question and answer session in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Responding to a question from Emakhandeni-Luveve MP Discent Bajila (CCC), Ncube said the government owed schools US$57 million in BEAM arrears by the end of the 2023 financial year.
He said during the 2023 financial year, 1,515, 047 children registered for financial support under BEAM. Said Ncube:
<blockquote>
The government availed ZWL$77.5 billion against a budget of ZWL$23 billion thereby reducing school fees arrears as well as clearing ZIMSEC examination arrears for 2023.
Notwithstanding the above efforts, resource constraints exacerbated by changes in the macro-economic environment resulted in the accumulation of arrears for BEAM which stood at an equivalent of US$57 million (ZiG772 million) by the end of the 2023 financial year.
The 2024 budget set aside ZWL805, 087,608 now ZiG322,163,908 million to cater for BEAM. However, due to limited fiscal space, the budget is not able to fully cover the arrears thereby limiting to cover both arrears and current fees obligations.
To this effect, the treasury will ensure the release of the full budget in line with current fees payments to curb further accumulation of arrears.
Treasury will also strive to find additional budget during the course of the year to prioritise payment of arrears to the marginalised schools so that service delivery is not compromised.
</blockquote>
The government has barred school heads and School Development Committees (SDCs) from sending away learners if parents and guardians fail to pay tuition.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Edgar Moyo said schools should engage debt collectors to deal with parents who are defaulting on settling school fees for their children. He said:
<blockquote>
Legally, school authorities are allowed to engage debt collectors to recover unpaid school fees instead of turning away learners.
As a matter of fact, we have consistently advised our school authorities to engage with parents or guardians in order to pay school fees and levies without even sending pupils away from school.
In the event that parents or guardians are not able to pay all the required fees and levies, the ministry has been on record, for advising school authorities to enter into a flexible payment plan.
However, we want to urge parents or guardians to respect the payment plans which they enter into with school authorities.
</blockquote>
In 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law the Education Amendment Act which compels the State to provide free basic education as stipulated by Section 27 of the Constitution.
In the run-up to the 2018 and 2023 general elections, the Government promised free basic education but has failed to honour the promises.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Govt Admits Failure To Pay BEAM Fees, Arrears Exceed US$57 Million

The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Torerayi Moyo said that every parent and guardian has the responsibility to pay school fees and levies for their children, and this must be done on time, reported <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/qualifications-review-for-teachers-school-heads-2/">The Sunday News</a>.
This comes after school heads complained that some parents were unwilling to pay fees for their children, yet the law prohibits school administrators from sending learners away for fee arrears.
Addressing heads of primary and secondary schools, district schools inspectors and education officials at St Columba’s High School in Bulawayo last week, Minister Moyo said:
<blockquote>
As the Government, we have said it is the responsibility of every parent and guardian to pay school fees and levies for their children and we are demanding that these be paid on time.
A delay in the payment of school fees and levies means that operations at our schools will come to a halt, a standstill.
Those children from underprivileged families have safety nets at their disposal. (But) it is illegal to turn away learners for non-payment of fees and levies.
Schools should find ways of collecting that money. We have heard here that the fee collection rate at St Columba’s is 89 per cent, this is commendable.
</blockquote>
Moyo said school heads and School Development Committees were to blame if parents and guardians did not pay school fees. He said:
<blockquote>
If you are a headmaster of a school, whether it is in an urban area, high-density area, or rural area, if parents are not paying school fees then there is a problem, emanating from a headmaster or School Development Committee chairman.
Ensure that you hold regular meetings with parents, tell them the importance of paying school fees and show them projects that you want to do, they will be part and parcel of what you want to do.
As the Government, we are not saying they must not pay, but we are saying they must pay on time.
I visited Chireya High School where the collection rate of school fees was 75 percent when schools opened.
They were showcasing projects that they were doing, a laboratory is under construction and everyone wants to be associated with good work happening at a school.
</blockquote>
The Minister also warned school heads that those who continue to defy Government orders on school fees will be dealt with. He said:
<blockquote>
I am here to remind those defiant authorities that we are going to apply the law, we cannot tolerate a situation where people continue to defy our instructions.
We are compiling a list of defiant school heads. We have instruments that we can use to punish those schools.
We can even transfer those headmasters who are resisting instructions. I am not threatening you but that is a fact.
We cannot continue to tolerate school heads who do what they want.
</blockquote>
In 2020, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51803825">the Government amended the education law</a> to make it an offence to expel children for non-payment of school fees or for becoming pregnant.
In 2019, at least 60% of the children in primary school were sent home for failing to pay fees, according to the state’s Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVac).
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

It's Parents' Responsibility To Pay School Fees For Their Children, Says Minister As Govt Reneges On "Free Education" Pledge

The president of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), Obert Masaraure, has called on Zimbabweans to stage bus stop protests every Monday, demanding free education. He argues that the gazetted tuition fees are retrogressive and unconstitutional. He said every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to basic state-funded education, as stated in the constitution. He called on Zimbabweans to stage bus stop protests every Monday, demanding free education.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, led by Minister Torerayi Moyo, recently announced the fees for government schools, ranging from $5 to $20 per term, depending on the school’s location and density. The fees are specified in US dollars, but parents and guardians are allowed to pay in the local currency at the prevailing exchange rate on the payment date. Some parents argue that the economic situation makes it unfair to increase tuition fees, and they believe the government should have considered the current hardships faced by families. Tatenda Chekai, a parent with a child at Chancellor Junior Primary School in Mutare, spoke to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200021625/parents-protest-over-usd-fees">NewsDay:</a>
<blockquote>
We have since paid the tuition fees. There is nothing we can do because at the end of the day it is my child who will be disadvantaged.
It is, however, unfair for the government to increase the tuition fees because of the current economic situation. The increase is retrogressive and this is not expected from our government.
</blockquote>
Concerns have been raised about the burden of high taxes and levies, which were introduced in the 2024 budget, in addition to the increased tuition fees. Parents fear these measures will make their lives more difficult, especially for those living in rural areas affected by challenging weather conditions.
The government previously stated that implementing free education would take time. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube explained that to fully transition to free education, the government needs to carefully assess the requirements, identify any gaps, and plan and implement activities that will ensure education access for every child. He emphasized that this process may take time, but the government is already taking significant steps to improve education access.
In 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed the Education Amendment Act into law. This law mandates the State to provide free basic education as stipulated in section 27 of the Constitution. This means that the government is legally obligated to ensure that every child has access to basic education without cost. Section 27 reads:
<blockquote>
The State must take all practical measures to promote (a) free compulsory basic education for children…
</blockquote>
For years, the government has been promising free basic education but has failed to implement the policy.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

ARTUZ Urges Zimbabweans To Stage Bus Stop Protests Every Monday Demanding Free Education

The Government has said it will take time to roll out free education as resources need to be mobilised for its implementation.
<a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200021384/free-education-needs-resources-minister">NewsDay</a> reported the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Torerai Moyo as saying free education will be rolled out in the next few years. Said Moyo:
<blockquote>
The government indeed has the intention that from Early Childhood Development (ECD) up to Grade 7, children should have free education.
That is the aim of the President. So, this is not new. It is an issue that we are seriously considering and it will not take us three years to implement.
We need to mobilise the resources so that people benefit. Free education comes in various forms.
There is the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) for those children who come from less privileged parents and they can go from ECD A up to grade 7 for free.
</blockquote>
BEAM is a government programme aimed at providing financial assistance to disadvantaged primary and secondary school learners.
It was established to support children from vulnerable backgrounds, including orphans, children from low-income families, and children with disabilities, to access quality education.
BEAM has, however, been affected by underfunding from the Treasury. In November 2023, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister July Moyo said that the Government has a ZWL$278 billion outstanding bill for BEAM.
Meanwhile, Torerai Moyo revealed that BEAM does not cater for levies for projects that schools require from parents from time to time. He said:
<blockquote>
In underdeveloped areas like my communal home, Muzarabani, Guruve and Kariba, children in those areas do not pay school fees.
They are going to school for free. There is a grant that is being used to cater for their fees.
Those who pay do so because they will have reached an agreement that the school wants to build accommodation for the schoolteachers and levies are going to be paid.
The ministry is approached with proposals and approval is granted.
</blockquote>
In 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law the Education Amendment Act which compels the State to provide free basic education as stipulated by Section 27 of the Constitution.
In the run-up to the 2018 and 2023 general elections, the Government promised free basic education but has failed to honour the promises.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Free Education Comes In Various Forms - Minister

CCC leader Nelson Chamisa said his government will fight endemic corruption if he wins the 23 August 2023 elections.
Addressing CCC supporters at Dulibadzimu Stadium on Sunday, Chamisa also promised to introduce free education from the primary level up to tertiary level. <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200014416/ed-has-no-room-for-rigging-chamisa">He said</a>:
<blockquote>
We will introduce free education at primary and tertiary levels. It’s happening in Zambia and other countries and it’s possible.
I also want to correct the lie being peddled that I will give back farms to whites.
I said I will give people title deeds. People are like squatters on resettled land, they have no claim or right to it.
</blockquote>
Chamisa mocked ZANU PF for bussing supporters to its rallies where people are given fried chips and chicken and mineral water. He said:
<blockquote>
Everyone here came on their own, we have no chicken to give you but you are driven by a need for change and a desire for dignity we will restore. We must vote in numbers to send Mnangagwa off.
</blockquote>
He introduced CCC candidates for the National Assembly in Beitbridge West and East, Morgan Ncube and Renatho Manavhela as well as local government candidates.
Chamisa said his government will promote the beneficiation of raw materials and restore citizens’ rights. He said:
<blockquote>
We will have a US$100 billion economy. We will have a country of milk and honey. No one will carry our raw materials out.
We will have those lithium factories, and build towns and new cities around the resources we have for processing.
We will restore citizens’ rights and that means anyone will have the right to demonstrate. How can anyone be stopped from expressing themselves?
</blockquote>
Chamisa also pledged to form a lean government with a maximum of 15 ministers.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Chamisa Promises Free University And College Education

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday appeared to be backtracking on his government’s commitment to providing free basic education.
Mnangagwa said the government will ensure that it avails resources to cater to disadvantaged children in primary and secondary schools including those with disabilities.
He was addressing hundreds of schoolchildren drawn from all the country’s provinces during a pre-Independence children’s party held in Mt Darwin. The President said:
<blockquote>
My government will ensure policies and programmes that help the livelihoods of our children; this includes access to quality education, from different backgrounds, arts and culture.
My government will make resources available for disadvantaged children in primary and secondary schools including those with disabilities, this will lead to the full enjoyment of our independence by young people.
</blockquote>
Mnangagwa, however, said his government was committed to continuing to provide scholarships. He said:
<blockquote>
The national presidential scholarship is supporting talented and underprivileged children so that they can also go to universities, I also thank other countries who are offering scholarships to our people.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe created free and compulsory primary and secondary education in 1980, soon after attaining independence.
However, parents had to pay building levies as well as sports fees for buying equipment and material.
The government has committed to providing free basic education starting in 2023.
However, the absence of a funding mechanism for free basic education implies that parental contribution will remain high. 
Part of the implementation of the free basic education policy has seen the Government subsidising the payment of Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) registration fees by up to 55 percent for every learner.
The government fully pays the registration fees for learners under the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM).
BEAM was established in 2001 by the government to cater for learners that could not afford the school fees such as Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Mnangagwa Backtracks On Free Education Pledge

The Government says it has started rolling out a pilot project on State-funded education in 16 rural districts across the country.
The pilot project will be conducted in two rural districts in each of the country’s eight provinces. Bulawayo and Harare metropolitan provinces are excluded.
The programme is being implemented in primary schools only.
Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube said the pilot project will identify any loopholes that need to be addressed before the programme is rolled out across the whole country. <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/free-education-pilot-project-starts-in-16-rural-districts/">The Herald</a> quoted Ncube as saying:
<blockquote>
We have taken the first step towards free education which was announced by the President.
We began by rolling out the programme in some selected districts so that we can test the approach and processes and model so that we don’t make mistakes going forward.
Once we are clear and satisfied with the results, we will roll it out across the whole country.
We are steadily moving forward to make sure no child is left behind and no place is left behind.
Bits of it (free education) had already started years back some of it is about packaging for example the BEAM programme.
So, we are just expanding that to cover more children and people with different levels of income. We are on our way to covering the whole country.
</blockquote>
The Government pays schools fees to nearly two million pupils through the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM).
It also subsidises examination fees for all candidates in public schools and pays all the fees for Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) candidates on BEAM.
Senator Chief Siansali from Binga District, one of the two districts in Matabeleland North Province where the pilot project is being conducted, said:
<blockquote>
Yes, Government has started implementing the free education policy in schools in Binga.
But in my engagements with school authorities, they have highlighted that there is a need to fine-tune the programme.
Funds are disbursed very late which affects the smooth running of the schools.
So during the time when funding has not been disbursed schools fail to operate and parents end up paying whatever they have so that schools are not brought to a halt.
Money comes but comes very late and sometimes it would be very little because the rate that they would have used it would have been overtaken by inflation.
</blockquote>
A villager from Mangwe District said that the local school was implementing the policy but parents and guardians were requested to pay development levy.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Govt Rolls Out Free Education Pilot Project In 16 Rural Districts

The Government is not yet ready to fully implement the free basic education policy due to budgetary constraints.
This was said by Primary and Secondary Education Minister Evelyn Ndlovu while responding to questions from backbenchers in the National Assembly on Wednesday last week. Ndlovu said:
<blockquote>
We sat down before the end of the year with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to analyse the budget to check on the amounts that were allocated to the Ministry in terms of funding the education sector in this country.
After a deep analysis of the figures, it is quite clear that we can start the implementation of the programme.
However, it should be implemented in a staggered manner because we do not have enough resources to immediately implement that policy.
… We worked together with the Deputy Minister of Finance before the end of the year. We have the figures and we have got US$6.3 million and that US$6.3 million is not enough.
It is not enough but we have to start the implementation because the Constitution says so and the Education Act says so.
</blockquote>
The Government promised to progressively provide free primary education starting this year but the programme is yet to take off, more than a month after schools opened for the 2023 first term on 09 January.

Govt Says Not Ready To Roll Out Free Basic Education

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MOPSE) has threatened to fire heads of government schools who hike fees in defiance of laid down guidelines.
 Private schools, on the other hand, risk being deregistered for the same offence, <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/school-heads-face-the-sack-over-illegal-fees-hikes/">The Herald</a> reported citing the ministry’s spokesperson, Mr Taungana Ndoro. He is quoted as saying:
<blockquote>
Heads of public schools who defy the directive would have defied the Permanent Secretary and that is an act of misconduct, so they will be charged. The penalties they face might include dismissal. 
Non-Government schools who do not follow the laid down procedure risk being deregistered.
</blockquote>
The government said any fee hike outside the stipulated regulations, which include parents’ consent and approval by the Permanent Secretary in the MOPSE, is illegal.
The warning comes after it had been noted that some schools were charging fees or levies exclusively in United States dollars which is at variance with the country’s monetary regulations which allow a multi-currency system.
Meanwhile, some parents feel disappointed as the government keeps on postponing rolling out the free education policy which was initially announced in 2018.
The government has over the years continued to postpone the implementation of the policy prompting critics to say the declaration is a <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/free-education-from-2023-mere-political-rhetoric-ptuz/">mere political strategy to attract votes for the ruling party in the 2023 elections.</a> 
Finance minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube said <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/free-education-would-take-time-to-implement-finance-minister/">free education would take time to implement</a> apparently hinting that the government would not implement the programme in January 2023 as was expected.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

Govt Threatens To Fire School Heads, Deregister Pvt Schools Hiking Fees

Former Education minister David Coltart says the government’s announcement that it will introduce free education beginning this term is impractical.
Speaking to NewsDay, Coltart, who is the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) interim treasurer, said the government failed to allocate adequate funds in the budget to support free education. He said:
<blockquote>
They can only roll out free education if they have a budget to support it. An analysis of the budget shows that it is a ridiculous budget and we have seen that education in real terms is relegated and made subordinate to the Office of the President and Cabinet, and the budget for rural areas.
Unless the budget allocates sufficient money for school fees to be supported, there can be no genuine rollout of free education.
We know from past years that the actual money allocated to education is generally way below, so there is no indication that anything will change.
</blockquote>
Economic commentator Gift Mugano said the government cannot roll out free education when it cannot pay teachers decent salaries. Said Mugano:
<blockquote>
The first question would be, is it really in motion? Where I am coming from, is that already the teachers are not being paid decent salaries and parents are taking the burden to sustaining the teachers.
Salaries are not going up, we cannot talk of free education when we cannot pay teachers well.
The Finance minister has said they will pay for three teachers’ children, not to talk of the whole country.
</blockquote>
Last month, Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube told Parliament that the free education programme will need more time to implement.
In his vote for the Primary and Secondary Education ministry, Ncube allocated $631.3 billion (US$976 million) towards providing quality infant, junior and secondary education.
However, the bulk of the allocation will go toward teachers’ salaries and other learning costs. | <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200005752/free-education-political-banter-analysts">NewsDay</a>

2023 National Budget Doesn't Support Free Education - Coltart

The government says it will gradually start implementing its State-funded free education policy when schools open for the first term next week.
Speaking in an interview with State media on Tuesday, Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Edgar Moyo said:
<blockquote>
The free education effort is not starting this year. It has been building up for some time. As for Matabeleland South, I know that two districts, Mangwe and Beitbridge pioneered the issue of free education and it was two districts across the country’s rural provinces where Government was fully paying for learners.
In our statement last year, we highlighted that it is not going to be everyone who will be covered. It is going to be a phased approach, beginning with the most disadvantaged communities classified under our systems and coded as P3, which are the rural primary schools, and S3, rural secondary schools.
Our efforts are going to be targeted at those areas and gradually we are going to realise full State-funded education. We have started through BEAM and the pilot program where two districts were covered.
We will gradually begin, with the most disadvantaged schools and move up the ladder until we are able to cover the whole population.
</blockquote>
The government already subsides the payment of Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) registration fees by up to 55 percent for every learner while fully paying the fees for those pupils under BEAM.
Around two million disadvantaged learners’ fees are paid for under the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) from the estimated 6.7 million pupil population. | <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/government-explains-free-education-policy-school-fees-reprieve-for-disadvantaged-rural-pupils/">Chronicle</a>

Free Education Policy Won't Benefit Everyone In 2023 - Govt

The government has seemingly reneged on its earlier promises to provide free basic education starting next year.
In 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law the Education Amendment Act which compels the State to provide free basic education.
In July this year, <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/govt-to-provide-free-education-starting-in-2023/#:~:text=The%20Government%20says%20it%20will,communities%20set%20to%20benefit%20first.">Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Edgar Moyo said that the government says it will commence a State-funded basic education programme next year.</a>
However, in the National Assembly, last week, Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube said the provision of free education would take time to implement. He said:
<blockquote>
To fully transition to total free education, we have to undertake a thorough evaluation of requirements, identifying gaps to debate and implementation of activities that broaden coverage for education to every child.
So, this is a process, we will get there because we have started but we are already doing a lot in terms of education access.
I have said earlier that provision of free education is a process, hence the budget increased allocation to the sector by 2.1% from the previous years.
</blockquote>
Ncube allocated $631.3 billion (US$976 million) towards providing quality infant, junior and secondary education but the bulk of the allocation will go towards teachers’ salaries and other learning costs. Added Ncube:
<blockquote>
Let me take this opportunity to advise the august House that already government is the main funder of basic education and that is from paying of teachers, construction of schools, provision of teaching and learning materials, supporting public examinations access, payment of fees for some schools and learners such as the Basic Education And Assistance (Beam) programme.
The government is already doing a lot in terms of making sure that there is better education access, indeed education is free.
</blockquote>
Speaking during the debate on the Finance Bill, ZANU PF Chief Whip in Parliament, Pupurai Togarepi, said the budget was insufficient to facilitate free education.
Mberengwa East legislator Marko Raidza (ZANU PF) said the budget allocation for education was inadequate to meet the needs of the Basic Education And Assistance Module (BEAM) facility. | <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200005138/govt-dithers-on-free-education">NewsDay</a>

Provision Of Total Free Education Will Take Time - Mthuli Ncube

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said primary education in public schools will be offered free of charge starting next year.
In his weekly article published by The Sunday Mail, Mnangagwa also said the Government plans to equip primary school learners with electronic gadgets such as tablets to facilitate e-learning. He said:
<blockquote>
The government will push for phased access to universal free education wholly funded by the State.
We must make primary education free and universal next year, in 2023.
This entails more than the Government just taking over the payment of school fees for all pupils in primary school.
Each primary school-going child has to have access to a tablet at Government’s expense.
Equally, primary schools will have to have access to electricity and electronic signals for online teaching.
</blockquote>
<h2>How will the Government fund free universal education?</h2>
Mnangagwa said his administration has several options on the table. He said:
<blockquote>
We have several options. We could fund this programme directly through budget allocations to concerned ministries.
We could also approach funding through resources devolved to our provinces.
Equally, we could target communities and learners through Constituency Development Funds.
Lastly, we could develop a hybrid model from all three avenues.
Whichever route we take, it must be efficient and deliver on results we want to see in the shortest possible time.
</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/free-basic-education-next-year-president">The Sunday Mail</a></h4>

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