Free Education Was A Lie? Ziyambi Tells Parents To Pay Up Or Face Debt Collectors

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By A Correspondent | The ZANU PF-led Government has effectively abandoned its pledge of free education, with Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi telling Parliament that parents must pay school fees or face interest charges, debt collectors and other legal action.

Speaking during a National Assembly question-and-answer session on Wednesday, Ziyambi said the Government would not interfere in financial agreements entered into voluntarily by parents and schools, including privately operated institutions.

The remarks have raised fresh questions about the Government’s commitment to its education promises, particularly after free education featured prominently in ZANU PF’s campaigns ahead of the 2018 and 2023 elections.

Instead of outlining measures to ease the financial pressure on struggling families, Ziyambi told Parliament that parents should stop complaining when schools pursue unpaid fees through interest charges, debt collectors and other legal channels.

He maintained that guardians who enrol children at schools under agreed payment arrangements must honour their obligations, effectively placing the responsibility for meeting education costs on individual families.

“We have schools where parents willingly subscribe to certain conditions in terms of paying fees. The Government cannot interfere,” Ziyambi said.

“It does not matter whether it is a Government school, a private school or any other type of school. So, the arrangement for paying fees should not affect the learner.”

The minister further maintained that pupils must continue attending lessons, sit examinations and receive their results even when their parents have outstanding fee balances.

However, his assurances do little to resolve the central question of how economically struggling families are expected to meet increasingly demanding education costs when the Government’s promise of universal free education remains unfulfilled.

For parents facing financial difficulties, the prospect of interest charges and debt collectors adds another layer of pressure to an already expensive responsibility.

Ziyambi’s parliamentary remarks have therefore brought renewed attention to the gap between ZANU PF’s election commitments and the Government’s current position on who should carry the cost of educating Zimbabwean children.