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Minister Lazarus Dokora

Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
PRIMARY and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora has cautioned schools against discriminating against pupils looking for Form One places and assured parents that online registration will be open until all the 24 000 boarding places are filled.

Early this month, his ministry introduced an electronic application system for boarding places for 2017 Form One classes as part of a raft of measures to fight corruption in schools.

However, Zimta and some parents have criticised the process following challenges encountered with online registration such as failing to log on due to poor network as well as hurdles faced by those with no internet access especially in rural areas.

Speaking on Star FM on Tuesday night, Dr Dokora said online registration will result in a transparent selection process as in some areas churches and councils have been engaged to assist.

He said the system applies to boarding schools only and said those who opt for day schools can go to preferred schools for registration.

“All boarding schools should make sure that they follow the system and make sure the selection is transparent. All children are entitled to boarding schools despite the units they attain as long as they have passed,” he said. “The Grade Seven examination is not a terminal examination. It’s simply a litmus test paper to see the child’s potential. Those who don’t meet the targets that have been set should not be excluded. Some children evolve into good learners at secondary level.”’

He said the registration process will be open until all the 24 000 places at boarding schools are filled. “As long as all the places in boarding schools are not filled, the students will be given an opportunity to populate the boarding places.

“If a child fails to secure a place at the three selected schools, they get a chance to choose another set of three schools until they secure a place. However, we will not force parents to choose schools that they don’t want,” said Dr Dokora.

He assured parents that the system was transparent. Dr Dokora said all schools are compelled to account for all boarding places they have and give evidence that they recruited pupils using e-registration.

The minister said the aim of online registration was to save parents from spending a lot of money traveling long distances to different schools to look for Form One places.

“The selection is transparent because there would be representation from all stakeholders in the selection process including senior teachers and committees allocated by the ministry,” he said.

He advised parents having challenges with the system to go to the schools where their children wrote Grade Seven examinations and be assisted.

“All schools have the capacity because e-registration started three years ago. Parents can also use their mobile phones to access e-registration or go to the nearest information centres under the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology,” said Dr Dokora.

@pamelashumba1