HARARE – The Government is considering measures to address cases where parents and guardians deliberately fail to pay school fees despite having the financial...
HARARE – The Government is considering measures to address cases where parents and guardians deliberately fail to pay school fees despite having the financial capacity, saying the practice is placing pressure on schools and undermining the education system.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Torerai Moyo made the remarks on Friday while closing the Fourth Edition of the National Education Summit Zimbabwe (NESZ) 2026 in Harare.
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The four-day summit was held under the theme, “From Policy to Practice: Driving Innovation and Investment in Zimbabwe’s Education System,” and brought together approximately 3,000 delegates from Government ministries, development partners, financiers, private sector institutions and international organisations.
Addressing delegates, Minister Moyo said access to education remains protected under the Constitution of Zimbabwe and stressed that Government remains committed to ensuring that no child is excluded from school because of unpaid fees.
“Education is a fundamental right. Indeed, education is a right enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Section 75 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that education is a human right,” said Minister Moyo.
“It is imperative that every child and every adult should have access to education. If we invest in education, the future of Zimbabwe is bright. If we do not invest in education, the future of Zimbabwe becomes gloomy.”
However, the minister said constitutional protections around access to education should not be interpreted as removing the responsibility of parents and guardians to contribute financially where they are able.
“When we say education is a right, we mean that because every child has a universal right to education, we should not exclude them from school. But we are not saying that parents and guardians should not pay school fees for their children. Let’s be loud and clear,” he said.
Minister Moyo said authorities were concerned that some parents were using the law as a reason to avoid payments despite having the means to support their children’s education.
“So, people are now abusing that right by failing to pay when they are able to do so,” he said.
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