There are concerns that many children may be unable to attend school as a result. Several schools, including Chinhoyi High, Kutama High, Falcon College, and Northwood Seventh Day Adventist, have requested additional payment in US dollars from parents.
While some parents, such as Mr. Richmond Mangeya, do not object to this arrangement, others, like Mr. Israel Nyandoro, find it difficult.
The Ministry of Primary and Higher Education's spokesperson, Mr. Taungana Ndoro, has stated that schools cannot charge fees that have not been agreed upon by parents.
However, Mr. Blessed Mhlanga, the task management committee chairman at Chinhoyi High, asserts that it was the parents who agreed to pay in US dollars.
According to a survey, the government has authorized schools to accept a portion of school fees in US dollars if parents pay 30%.
Education experts warn that the increased fees will likely result in more children being unable to attend school.
Reports from the Union of Education Norway and UNICEF indicate that since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis in 2020, 20% to 47% of children have dropped out of school in Zimbabwe.
The United Nations calls for governments to allocate 20% of their budget to education, but last year's budget only allotted 14%.
The Finance Minister, Mr. Mthuli Ncube, has invested in the BEAM fund, which aids the poor, but parents have long complained about its mismanagement.
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