THE Government has been raiding schools to enforce compliance with the directive to prohibit holiday lessons amid reports that some schools have made it their tradition to conduct extra tutorials for a fee.
In an interview on Friday, the Director of Communication and Advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mr Taungana Ndoro, confirmed the raids although he could not give the number of schools that were caught on the wrong side of the law.
He said there was strict monitoring to ensure compliance.
“Yes, the ministry has been carrying out raids in schools. This is part of efforts to ensure that our institutions comply with the directive that prohibits the holding of holiday lessons for examination and non-examination classes.
“The number of schools is not important at least at this juncture. What is important is that we have been encouraging schools to take the Government directives seriously through monitoring what is going on in schools,” said Mr Ndoro.
The directive not to hold holiday learning was announced in a statement by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Moses Mhike.
He clarified that they were not going to any holiday lessons in schools for all classes including examinations classes, arguing that there was uninterrupted teaching and learning in schools that does not warrant any extra learning during the school vacation.
Mr Mhike emphasised the need for stakeholders to work together to ensure an end to the malpractice by schools and teachers urging citizens to notify the authorities about any schools not complying with the directive.
“If anyone hears of any school that is not in compliance with the directive, kindly notify us,” said Mr Mhike.
However, despite the directive and the warning, some schools and teachers have been conducting holiday lessons in defiance of the directive by the Government with reports of learners instructed not to wear uniforms to schools so that the schools conducting the lessons are not easily identified.
Enquiries made by the Sunday News revealed that the lessons range between US$10 and US$20 per subject depending on the level.
Most individual teachers who conduct holiday lessons are charging US$10 per subject for the duration of the holiday and those that are teaching Maths and Science subjects are the most on demand.
“There is a ready market for those teaching Maths and Science subjects. Parents are the ones feeding this illegality that the Government is trying to contain. They are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that their children have the best grades. But it is somehow taking the confidence off the school system and by disallowing holiday lessons, the Government is working on restoring that lost confidence.
“The safety of learners especially girls is also at stake for those going for holiday lessons in houses,” said an educator who requested anonymity.
The teachers have, however, been advertising on different social media platforms.
“Pure Maths, Additional Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology lessons in progress for both O and A-level classes,” reads a message on a WhatsApp group where a teacher was advertising the services. – Sunday News
