HARARE-The Government has made a u-turn in shutting down illegal schools that had mushroomed in the capital by extending the regularization date
The office of the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Harare Metropolitan Province Tafadzwa Muguti issued a press statement moving the date to 31 March 2022
“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in consultation with all stakeholders has therefore extended a grace period of up to the 31st of March 2022 for all these illegal schools and colleges to regularise their operations,” said Muguti
In collaboration with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, and Local Authorities, Muguti launched a blitz across the province to expose schools and colleges operating without Government licenses, ZIMRA registration, and local authority permits.
“Whilst the initial list comprised of 400 illegal schools and colleges, the blitz managed to identify 448 schools and colleges that did not comply with any government or local authority requirement. To date, a total of 320 schools have been shut down due to non-compliance, whilst 273 owners of these illegal institutions have since been arrested and appearing before the courts” said Muguti
The exercise established that 22, 569 students were enrolled at these illegal institutions
Muguti’s leniency comes less than a week before the schools’ calendar resumes