Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has asked authorities at Fatima High School in Lupane in Matabeleland North province to release examination results for two students, which they are withholding as a way to induce payment of outstanding school fees.
School authorities had been withholding Ordinary and Advanced Level examination results for Wellington Nyoni, who wrote his examinations in 2015 and 2017 respectively and Ordinary Level examination results for Sithembinkosi Ndlovu, who sat for her examination in 2016 claiming that the students’ parent Fransisca Ncube and guardian Lochi Stephen Ndlovu, who are liberation war veterans had not paid up school fees and yet all along the children’s school fees was being paid by government.
Upon being engaged by Prisca Dube of ZLHR, Fatima High School Headmaster only identified as B Moyo advised the human rights lawyer that he was not aware of the matters and requested that both Nyoni and Ndlovu should report at the school and see him personally to have the issues resolved.
Over the years, ZLHR has resorted to using litigation in order to compel several school authorities to release examination results which they would have withheld in order to induce parents and guardians to pay outstanding schools and thereby impede the progress of students to pursue their educations desires.
In 2018, the then High Court Judge Justice Nicholas Mathonsi declared as unconstitutional the practice by some school authorities of withholding examination results for students as a way to induce payment of outstanding school fees.
Justice Mathonsi ruled that the refusal by authorities at Ihlathi High School in Bulawayo to release Ordinary Level examination results of a student over non-payment of school fees is unlawful and unconstitutional as infringes on the student’s constitutional rights enshrined in section 75 and section 81 of the Constitution.
