Schools must take rands: Dokora

By Zvamaida Murwira

It is against the law to reject the South African rand and Botswana pula as legal tender for the payment of school fees, the government has warned.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora told Senators last week that the South African rand was one of the currencies in the basket of currencies adopted by the government as legal tender in 2009.

He was responding to a question from Beitbridge Senator Tambudzani Mohadi (Zanu-PF) who wanted to know what the government was doing about school heads who turned away pupils who wanted to pay school fees in South African rand and Botswana pula.

Sen Mohadi said many pupils in her area were not going to school after authorities rejected the South African rand.

“It’s true that she asked this question before and I did respond to it to say that if there are instances where this practice of turning down what’s a legal tender in this country in the multi-currency regime, if any of our institutions are turning down acceptance of this legal tender, those schools should be reported through our system. I’m quite happy to receive the list from the Honourable Member and we’ll take action,” said Minister Dokora.

Many trading institutions have over the past months been rejecting the South African rand which has been depreciating rapidly in value against the United States dollar.

Most shops and individuals have since stopped using the rand to settle debts preferring the green back.

Most Zimbabweans in the southern part of the country like Matabeleland deal mainly in the rand owing to their proximity to Pretoria.

Responding to another question, Minister Dokora said his ministry had an elaborate plan in its new curriculum to promote the learning of Science and Mathematics.

He was responding to a question from Disabled Representative Senator Nyamayabo Mashavakure who wanted to know if the government would take the promotion of Science and Mathematics from Advanced Level to Ordinary Level as well.

Sen Mashavakure asked what the government was doing to deter a temptation by teachers to discourage the learning of sciences so as to secure high pass rates.

“Our plan to promote Science, Mathematics and technical vocational subjects is in the new curriculum. It begins at level one — from the infants right up to A-Level.

“What we know is that of our children since 2013 to 2015, we can give you a number of children who’ve gone through the curriculum that we currently have,” he said.

Minister Dokora said most pupils were registering good passes at Advanced Level. The Chronicle