Harare – Most of the 46 private schools closed down by the government in Zimbabwe last week in a row over tuition fee increases have reopened, school officials and state media reported on Monday.

Around 30 000 schoolchildren last week found their school gates locked, or were turned away by police, after the government declared that the schools had illegally hiked their fees.

The state-run Herald newspaper said 43 of the schools had been allowed to reopen, and most had had their fees slashed by the government.

The paper gave the example of the prestigious Peterhouse boarding school in eastern Zimbabwe, where fees were reportedly slashed from Z$9.9m a term to Z$3.3m.

“As far as we are aware, those schools (that were closed) have gone back,” an official with the association representing private schools, who asked not to be named, said.

The Herald said Education Minister Aeneas Chigwedere had ordered that school fees remain fixed until next year.

The government closed the schools for hiking their fees by more than 10% a year without approval. It said the move was “racist” and aimed at keeping out black students, but the schools deny this.

The private schools, which have smaller classes and better facilities than state-run schools, say they need bigger budgets and in most cases have a black majority.

In the country’s second city of Bulawayo, where 17 private schools last week won a court order against their closure, school activities were running as normal on Monday.

“All the schools here are open and functioning,” David Coltart, an opposition lawmaker and school board official in Bulawayo said.

Edited by Anthea Jonathan

Source: NEWS24.COM
URL: http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/…/p>