Parents want teachers fired after 0% exam pass rate

Published: 2014 January 27 10:19:47 (11226 Views)

Parents whose children attend Msithi Primary School in Filabusi, Zimbabwe, want all the teachers fired including the school head after the school recorded zero percent pass rate in 2013's Grade Seven examinations.

Angry parents summoned school authorities for a meeting on Wednesday after some secondary schools refused to enrol pupils from Msithi Primary for Form One.

The parents accused teachers at the school and their head of failing to deliver and urged government to transfer all of them.

The school head, Nhlanhla Moyo, School Development Association (SDA) chair Constant Langa, a representative from the district education office Jesta Mandazi and some teachers attended the parents meeting.

"We have been complaining over poor performance for a number of years now. The situation has worsened forcing some parents to transfer their children to other schools that are far away," Sehlulekile Moyo, a parent, said.

She said secondary schools were refusing to enrol the pupils from the school because of their poor Grade Seven results.

Parents said they were now forced to transfer their children to distant schools that were in some cases 15km away.

Said another parent: "We need a solution soon because some of us cannot afford to send our children to far away schools."

One parent said he was shocked when his child emerged the highest in his class after scoring 131 out of 400 marks in the 2013 end of year tests.

Area councillor Jeremiah Langa said: "We have realised that when children get to Grade Three they start performing badly until they reach Grade Seven.

"It seems the teachers are doing nothing to improve the pass rate hence the call by parents that they should all be fired.

"We want Moyo to tell us what exactly the problem is. Our children are stranded as they cannot be enrolled even by local secondary schools."

Another parent, Member Vakatsha, said the situation called for an inquiry by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.

He accused Moyo of failing to supervise teachers.

Beneficiaries of the Capernaum Trust Zimbabwe, a scholarship programme for disadvantaged children have reportedly failed to enrol for Form One or repeat Grade Seven as the donor does not cater for 'second chancers'.

In his response Moyo said: "I have taken note of what the parents have said and I will see what I can do."

The parents were, however not satisfied with the response and challenged Mandazi to do something about the situation.

Source - Chronicle