Parents question two day school week, grades progression rationale.

By Karen Ndlovu  

GWANDA- Parents in Gwanda have questioned the rationale behind the two school days per week programme which has been instituted at Government schools across the country.

While juxtaposing the move with private schools that are operating normally, the parents fear a higher rate of failure in Government schools. The parents are also skeptical about the moving on of learners to the next grade despite very little meaningful learning in their previous grades.

Schools have since reopened after a long sabbatical that was necessitated by the Covid-19-induced lockdown and students are only attending classes twice a week. The decision to have learners attend classes only twice a week is aimed at curtailing the spread of the virus.

However, some parents seemingly do not subscribe to the decision as they feel it is an unnecessary measure that will further shortchange learners given that the latter have already lost a lot of learning  time due to the lockdown. Furthermore, some parents are of the opinion that learners should not have proceeded to their next grades given that they lost out on the lion’s share of the previous year.

“We are very concerned because our children are not learning. After going for almost the whole of last year without learning they have been railroaded to the next grades, only to attend classes twice a week,” said a lady who only identified herself as Mrs Ncube.

Mrs Ncube added that private schools are the ideal because they have been least affected and are giving classes normally. She however, hastened to say that private schools are a preserve for elites who have the wherewithal to afford them. 

“I do regret withdrawing my child from a private school. At least private school students attend classes every day. I had to move my child from the private school to a public school due to a lack of finances,”  she added.

Another parent who identified herself as Sibonginkosi Sibanda highlighted her deep worry for her grade seven child who barely learnt anything in grade six and yet is set to be a candidate to sit for the final examinations.

“If only the government had made it compulsory for these children to  repeat the grades they supposedly did last year but which they effectively did not do, it would have been better. These children know nothing but are expected to be writing ZIMSEC at the end of the year. It is quite a sad,” said Sibanda.

Stezi Primary school teacher, Mr D Ndlovu asserted that the strategies should have been done on a case by case basis and that due to very high enrollments in some schools, the two day strategy is the most rational in such scenarios. Ndlovu said that as far as he is concerned, the two day learning strategy is the only sensible strategy in big schools.

“Looking at the population in some schools, where students reach a population of about 2000, it’s only reasonable for them to do the two day programme. Bear in mind that both students and teacher’s health should be prioritized as we battle with this coronavirus.” 

Ndlovu also said that schools like his own, with smaller enrollments can afford to have classes daily. “It is a mockery for our school to be implementing this two days per week programme because our enrollment is plus or minus 250 students,” said Ndlovu.

He further added that moving learners on to the next grades should be reconsidered because no meaningful learning was done last year.

“If it were up to me, these learners would have repeated their grades because we are clearly brewing a disaster by insisting they move on to the next grade.. These children don’t know anything and  they have been in the home community for way too long. We are still battling to remove their mindset from the community and redirect them to focus on their schoolwork.” he said.

One grade seven student who only identified herself as Thembie said that the prospect of sitting for exams scares her.

“I am scared of sitting for my exams, I don’t even know what I will write. The only thing I can do is to take extra lessons and hope for the best,” she said.

Meanwhile, its business as usual for parents whose children attend private schools as daily lessons continue uninterrupted. There is only one private school in Gwanda town that is taking grade one to seven pupils, the other one is only taking learners from ECD to grade two