Back to school headaches

Schools have officially opened in Zimbabwe. Parents are crying foul as they jostle to send their children back to school with adequate resources.

Most boarding school students were picked up today at their respective pick up points. Gloomy faced parents reiterated to this publication the hardships that they were facing in sending their kids to school. One parent lamented the hike in school fees and the fact that most people were earning peanuts.

Another major concern was that of the increase in the price of uniforms. Parents are saying they can barely keep up with the list of demands from schools ranging from levies, food items and stationery.

Economic hardships have seen other parents having to pull out their children from school. As the students prepare for another new school term, parents have had to admonish them to brace for tough times as events like mid term visits might be difficult to fulfill.

Those with students who are day scholars were bemoaning the price of transport fares and fearing that their children might have to miss some lessons for failure to source transport fees.

Zimbabwe is ranked among the top countries in Africa with the highest literacy rate. It remains to be seen whether that status will be maintained having regard to the problems bedevilling the education sector. A strike by teachers also seems imminent as hinted by the secretary general of the Zimbabwe Teachers Association.