FROM INBOX | A parent with two children who are boarders at F.D. Roosevelt Girls High School in Harare sent me these photos. Her complains are as follows:
1. We had an AGM end of March 2025 where a total top-up for term was agreed upon (US$97) subject to approval by the Ministry of education. Surprising the above photo send to us include term 1 which we never agreed upon. How do we pay top-up for term that was over by the time we had the AGM?
2. There is also a special levy of US$50 for a hostel which was gutted by fire in 2021, which was approved by Ministry for term 2. However, as I was going over my fees payment receipts I realised that I have been paying the special levy for a long time: I paid US$40 Special levy which was said to be once off in 2022, another US$40 in 2023, and another US$40 in 2024. Same skill, once off payment to finish the same hostel. Now 2025, it's US$50 and once again said to be once off. Is this not a scam? I wonder.
3. The School head beat up a laboratory assistant worker first term in 2023 (my daughter was in form 4 at the school and she witnessed it), I am not sure her full name but called Nelia (my daughter calls her mai Manake) for selling in the school. This was reported at Rhodesvile Police Station. I understand there was a court case and the head paid a fine for this. Whilst she she admitted to be guilty by paying the fine, she was neither supspended nor dismissed as the Labour Law and Public Service Act prescribe. She boasts that "pawakatsika ndipo pandakatsikawo" indicating that she might have paid her way out.
4. These days the school is kept locked for us parents and teachers. The other day I heard my daughter was injured at the sports field, came to the school and security guard was rough and couldn't let me in. The gate at State House is kept open what is so special about a school which is supposed to be a public place for us the stakeholders. I feel for the teachers who are kept in such prison conditions. I wonder what is the Ministry of Education's Position on this kind of psychological torture.
5. I was talking to one teacher who even said that refrigerators were withdrawn from their staffroom and were given to none-teaching staff. Teachers no longer have access to the refrigerators which the SDC bought for them.
6. At the last AGM, parents refused a solar levy which was suggested by this Roosevelt Girls High head teacher. The reason was that, there was previous solar levy for the school which we paid to put solar for the whole school. She had said that the classrooms become darker in winter such that learners fail to see properly. It's suprising that only the administration block was installed with solar. What happened to the rest of the solar levy paid by parents is mysterious.
7. The window panes for most of the classrooms are broken and this winter our daughters complain of coldness. I heard that this has been the case for years. One non-teaching staff even said to me, vana ve form 1 which is near the library vanovhara mvura ne umbrella. Zvakafanana nekudzidzira panze chaiko.
Whistle-blower anonymity is a must in the serious case. Thank you for the good work you are doing.
