No fewer than 400 illegal private schools are facing closure in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, over frequent hikes in fees.
The Minister of State for Harare Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Senator Oliver Chidawu, who announced the potential closure, said his office has been inundated with complaints from concerned parents following the mushrooming of private schools that reportedly raise fees or levies without going through the required processes.
Chidawu, in a statement issued by the Harare Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Tafadzwa Muguti, said more than 400 private schools are operating illegally in Harare.
It added that affected primary and secondary schools have been operating for years.
The statement read, “The office of the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution is inundated with complaints from parents and guardians over unsanctioned increase in school fees, charging of fees at parallel market rates, refusal of local currency payments, barring of school development committees, mismanagement of funds and failure to supply audited financials.
“We have since established through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education that we have well over 400 unregistered primary and secondary schools operating illegally throughout the province. These schools have operated illegally for many years and have a student population ranging between 300 to 1 000 students respectively.”
