EDUCATION is regarded as one of the most valuable investment a parent or guardian can make.
Local entrepreneurs have decided to invade the education sector through opening unregistered private colleges.
Most of the private colleges do not even meet the basic requirements and standards set by the Ministry of Education.
The entrepreneurs disregard the quality of education and focus on profits.
It would appear that their main agenda is to milk money from parents and guardians of those pupils in return for poor quality education.
In some cases, colleges employ unqualified teachers to cut costs on the wage bill.
Other colleges tend to employ undergraduate students from universities who will be on vacation.
A snap survey, which was done by Zim Morning Post, indicates that value of education is now subservient to the profit motive in the teaching profession.
A source from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary education who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity explained that most of these colleges do not meet minimum requirements of a school and they can be closed at anytime.
“These colleges you are talking about they do not meet the minimum requirements of a school and they can be closed at anytime because the Ministry feel that these colleges are killing education,” said the source.
According to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education a high school class must have between 25 and 35 students but the teacher to student ratio is has ballooned.
The headmaster of First Academy in Chitungwiza, Tapiwa Rwamba however refuted this and said everything that his college does is above board.
He explained that in selecting students they prioritise quality education and not money.
“Our main aim as First Academy is to give education to the vulnerable and we meet all the requirements which are needed for one to open a college,” Rwamba said.
Some of these teachers employed at these institutions complained of too much pressure.
“The pressure is just too much for a person like me, imagine that I finished my “A” level studies in 2018 but last year I was given six classes to teach accounts from form one to six. But what pains me most is that we are being paid peanuts whilst our bosses drive posh cars while I do not even own a bicycle,” said one teacher at Shining Star college in Chitungwiza.
Pupils at these colleges pay at least US$ 90 per term while government and council owned schools charge far less.
Despite such high costs, some of the private colleges do not have adequate textbooks and learning material.Pupils who enrolled at these colleges appear to have been persuaded by promises of better services and greater pass rates.
“I enrolled here after I failed to secure a place at Zengeza 1 High School because I failed to meet the requirements but when I came here, I was sweet talked to the level that I thought I had passed my O Level but that was not the case, we were told that we are going to do computer lessons but up to now we never attended computer lessons” said a form three student at Shining Star.
