Deportations threaten schooling for thousands of Zimbabwean pupils
· Citizen
The Zimbabwe exemption permit coordinating committee has appealed to the South African and Zimbabwean governments to urgently intervene to prevent what it describes as a looming education crisis affecting thousands of Zimbabwean children whose families are being deported, or forced to leave SA.
According to the organisation, children across several school grades risk losing years of education as their families relocate to Zimbabwe, where they are allegedly unable to seamlessly transition into the country’s education system.
Visit bettingx.club for more information.
Zimbabwean pupils losing years as families deported from SA
Edward Muchatuta, the organisation’s national coordinator, warned that the most immediate concern involved Grade 12 pupils preparing to write SA’s National Senior Certificate examinations in November.
He said many matric pupils have spent their entire schooling in SA but now face being withdrawn from school because their parents or guardians are being deported, or are leaving the country.
Pupils in Grades 10 and 11 who have followed South Africa’s curriculum and assessment policy statement (Caps) curriculum for more than a decade would struggle to adapt to Zimbabwe’s education system, potentially delaying completion of their schooling by several years.
“How will they prepare and sit for these critical examinations if they are forced to relocate now. Imagine after 11 years you have been doing Caps and in your final year of school forced to do the Zimbabwean [syllabus],” said Muchatuta.
“Assessment of Zimbabwean secondary schools is different from SA’s Caps. On languages, these children do not understand Ndebele or Shona. Also, in Zimbabwe there is no maths literacy or life orientation.”
Muchatuta also warned that primary school pupils face similar obstacles.
Missed Grade 7 exam registration
He said in Zimbabwe, registration for Grade 7 national examinations closed earlier this year, leaving many returning children unable to progress to secondary school next year.
According to the organisation, most affected families come from low-income households, particularly domestic workers, who are expected to return to Zimbabwe without employment, making it even more difficult to support their children’s education.
To avert the crisis, the organisation has proposed that education authorities in both countries establish emergency arrangements allowing affected pupils to continue following the SA curriculum while in Zimbabwe.
It also called for joint examination centres to be established in Beitbridge and at the Musina Repatriation Centre, enabling Zimbabwean matric pupils to complete their SA final examinations despite relocating.
The committee said qualified teachers among returning Zimbabweans were willing to volunteer to provide academic support if both governments created the necessary framework.
Muchatuta said in less than a week, there had been “more than 2 000” submissions from parents who wanted their children to continued with Caps curriculum.
Parents seek Caps continuity for Grade 12s who don’t know Zimbabwe syllabus
“Some are not opting for repatriation due to education issues. If there is political will to facilitate Caps as an alternative for those returning, more migrants will send their children back to Zimbabwe,” he said.
Yesterday, Zimbabwean Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Zhemu Soda said President Emmerson Mnangagwa has instructed all schools to accommodate pupils from SA within their catchment areas.
“What is going to happen is that our children are not going to be able to continue with their education,” Muchatuta said.
Since last month, over 60 000 Zimbabweans have returned home following anti-illegal immigration protests in South Africa.
The department of basic education had not responded to questions by the time of publishing.