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Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Online Reporter 

IT is illegal for schools to force parents or guardians to buy uniforms from learning institutions in a free market economy, Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Edgar Moyo has said.

Responding to senators on 29 March, the deputy minister said Zimbabwe has a free market economy and parents are supposed to buy wherever they have got cost advantage.

“Children being forced to buy uniforms by schools is illegal. So, if anything like that is happening, yes indeed, it has happened and some of it has been brought to our attention and we have taken action against such schools and headmasters. I would implore the House to inform the nation, like we are doing right away and like we have always done through our circulars that, that it is illegal. No school should force children to buy uniforms from them nor should they create a situation where if you have not bought a uniform from them, then you have not gotten a place. That is not allowed, it is illegal,” said Deputy Minister Moyo.

He said schools that defy policy should be reported so that corrective action is taken.

The Deputy Minister also said schools should never chase away learners for non-payment of school fees but would rather come up with innovative ways to recover arrears.

“Then children being sent home, again it is the same thing and I think some court judgments have been pronounced with regards to that. That is illegal. The contract of school fees payment is between the school and parents and the child must not be used to force parents to pay,” he said.

“It is actually an abuse of those children denying their right to education. So, we encourage schools to come up with innovative ways of making sure parents pay. We have suggested that schools can sit with parents and agree on payment plans. Where children are so disadvantaged like orphaned and vulnerable children, BEAM is there to assist them and I am speaking here for public schools. The private schools come under a different mandate in terms of our Acts.”

@thamamoe