Schools Complied With Ministry Directive On ZiG Payments - Ndoro

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has commended schools for embracing the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency for school fees payment after there was some resistance to the new currency during the first week of the current 2024 second term.

Director of Communications and Advocacy in the Ministry, Taungana Ndoro, told The Sunday News that parents and guardians should be allowed to pay the whole amount in ZiG at the interbank rate on the day that the transaction is made. He said:

The Government has always been clear that no school is allowed to refuse ZiG which is our local currency. All schools, Government and non-governmental are supposed to accept it if a parent comes and wants to pay with that currency.

If their fees are paid in United States dollars they should accept the ZiG currency at the interbank rate on the day that the transaction is made.

ZiG is a legal tender in the country and no school is allowed to charge school fees in USD only or to compel parents to pay 50 per cent USD and 50 per cent ZiG. No.

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Ndoro admitted that some schools have been resisting the government directive to accept ZiG and were only accepting USD payments. Said Ndoro:

Yes, there were several schools during the first week of opening schools that were refusing to take ZiG and were only taking USD and we issued a directive and had a massive publicity campaign regarding compliance.

What we have noticed is that the response has been very impressive. Parents can pay with ZiG. We have not had as many reports as when the schools opened.

Ndoro also revealed that the Government and its developmental partners have started rolling out the schools’ feeding programme nationwide.

He said the initial target is to feed three million learners but the number of beneficiaries will likely increase as the year progresses.

Ndoro was speaking at Tjingababili Primary School in Mangwe District during a media tour focusing on the critical linkages between climate change, water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition organised by UNICEF.

More: Pindula News