STAKEHOLDERS in the education sector in Matabeleland North province have expressed concern over the delay in the disbursement of funds from the Basic Education Assistance Module (Beam) saying it is contributing to the poor pass rates prevalent at the schools in the province.
Nkayi South legislator Jabulani Hadebe, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education, accused the government of double standards.
He took a swipe at government officials for failing to protect children.
“They are saying no child is supposed to be turned away from school over non-payment of school fees. About 80% of pupils in Matabeleland are under the Beam programme but government is taking its time to release the funds which is affecting the pass rates in the region,” he said.
Hadebe said the government last disbursed funds in 2022 with approximately 20% of the pupils paying school fees which made it difficult for schools to run their operations.
“The marginalised schools are the worst affected especially with the new Heritage curriculum because they are supposed to catch up with the new technology but there is no connectivity in terms of network.
“The policy-makers are sending their children to private schools because they know that there is a lack of proper learning materials in government institutions and some of them are board members in those schools,” he said.
Hadebe said Beam funds were released from the Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion ministry through the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministry to the schools, arguing that the long route was causing unnecessary delays.
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“The government should appoint a responsible person to deal with Beam funds in the Ministry of Education,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe provincial co-ordinator for Matabeleland North Never Nyaunzwi said the government failed to disburse Beam funds for almost four years negatively impacting on schools.
“The government has failed to pay these funds since 2020 and these days we are talking about projects and workshops where teachers are supposed to travel.
“Some schools are no longer accepting pupils under Beam while others are forcing parents whose children are under Beam to pay school fees and be reimbursed when the money is available, suggesting the programme is no longer functional,” he said
Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro said his ministry was not responsible for Beam management.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare official Respect Chofamba promised to respond to inquiries but had not done so by the time of going to press.
According to Finance minister Mthuli Ncube, at least three out of 10 Zimbabwe learners are under the Beam facility.
Ncube said approximately 4,5 million primary and secondary school learners in the country or 30% are under Beam.
However, government has been struggling to pay outstanding amounts for the programme amid reports that schools are owed ZiG57 million.
Beam is a government programme introduced in 2001 to pay tuition, examination fees and levies for underprivileged learners.
