Ralph Junior School in Zimre Park is under fire for closing its doors and suspending lessons today in order to prepare for the wedding of the school owner’s son tomorrow.
Parents are upset that their children’s education is being disrupted for a non-academic event. The school, being private, claims it has the right to close for wedding preparations.
However, parents feel that their voices are being restricted since the school locked the WhatsApp group, allowing only admins to post messages.
The school sent a notice to parents on its WhatsApp group which read:
“Please note that tomorrow, Friday, 20 July 2023, children are not coming to school because Mr Mungwari Junior is getting married on Saturday, 21 July, at Ralph Junior School.
Therefore, there are a lot of preparations which are taking place at the school. Children are coming back to school on Monday, 24 July 2023. There will be no weekend lessons for Grade 7s.”
One frustrated parent expressed disappointment with the school owner’s disregard for the students’ education while valuing personal matters. The parent called the school to air his displeasure, but the school responded that they do what they think is right because it’s their school.
The situation has caused some controversy as parents believe their children should focus on learning, not preparing for someone’s wedding.
263Chat reached out to the school owner, Mrs Mungwari, who denied the claims that the school was closed, saying that pupils did attend school and lessons were held today.
However, this publication contacted some Ralph Junior School parents who refuted this and said the school was closed and boarding pupils had gone home, with instructions to resume on Monday.
Ralp Junior school is a private institution located in Zimre Park. It is home to over 500 primary and secondary students.
