The ManicaPost
Lovemore Kadzura Rusape Correspondent
PARENTS at Domborembizi Primary School in Makoni early this week forced the closure of the school demanding the immediate removal of a male teacher, whom they accuse of various acts of misconduct.
The angry parents shut down the school on Monday and Tuesday when they ordered their children to boycott lessons and go back home until the teacher in question, Blessing Dzemunyasi, was removed from the school.
The parents accuse the teacher of absenteeism from duty, which they allege started eight years ago when he was posted to the school, alcoholism, abuse of schoolchildren and eating pupils’ food. According to parents and teachers at the school, the teacher seems to have some mental challenges.
The parents also allege that the teacher was in the habit of forgetting his keys in Mutare and enters his house through the window, relieves himself in a bucket and hands over the bucket to pupils to dispose human waste in the toilet. They further claim that Dzemunyasi urinates behind the classroom door and ask pupils to mop his urine.
When The Manica Post visited the school, which is along the Rusape-Nyanga highway on Tuesday, there were only teachers and parents, as school pupils had been dismissed by the peacefully protesting parents who were waving placards denouncing the teacher. In an interview, Domborembizi Primary School Development Committee chairman Mr Tulani Sithole said the demonstration by the parents was the last measure they had taken as they had on numerous occasions approached the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education over the issue but their pleas for the removal of Dzemunyasi had fallen on deaf ears.
He further added that some parents had resorted to transferring their children from the school to neighbouring schools in protest over Dzemunyasi’s conduct and failure by the ministry to address the longstanding problem.
“What has caused the parents to protest and close the school is the issue of a teacher who is not attending lessons for years now. We are not protesting against the teacher but Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education officials at the district offices who have been lying to us for eight years that they will deal with the issue of Blessing Dzemunyasi. We are sick and tired of this teacher and those at the ministry whom we believe are protecting him. We can no longer tolerate this anymore. The future of our children is in jeopardy just because the ministry does not want to take corrective measures.
“Since he came here, Dzemunyasi always misses class; he can go for a whole month without setting his foot in the classroom. In 2014 the then District Schools Inspector, Mr Akim Jiji, led a delegation to this school after we made numerous complaints to his office and Dzemunyasi insulted me in their presence and nothing was done. We continue writing letters of complaint as parents but they ignore us.
“A new DSI then, Mr Nathaniel Machini, also promised to look into the matter after we appraised him of the situation but nothing was done. As parents we are saying enough is enough we can’t take this anymore. This teacher must be removed from our school with immediate effect.
“A number of parents have since transferred their children to other schools, which are very far just because the Ministry of Education does not care about the future of our children. Just imagine that since the schools opened this term Dzemunyasi has not set his foot on the school and his class is not learning.
“For the past seven years we have been forced as parents to fork extra money to hire an untrained relief teacher whenever Dzemunyasi is absent. This is not fair at all and the ministry has stretched our patience too far and we cannot take it anymore. We feel this teacher is protected by some people at the ministry and those people must be exposed,” said a bitter Mr Sithole.
A meeting was later held between teachers and parents who expressed their anger and disgust over the alleged misconduct of Dzemunyasi and they insisted that pulling children out of the school was the best way for their concerns to be addressed.
“It does not make any sense for us to pay school fees, buy stationery and uniforms yet the children are not learning. This problem has been going on for years and we have been made to be patient because of protocol. What is protocol at the expense of my child’s future?” queried one parent.
“I have five children who passed through Dzemunyasi’s class and they all failed Grade Seven because they did not learn anything in Grade 5. Is this fair?” another parent asked.
“My child told me that Dzemunyasi urinates behind the classroom door and asks pupils to mop the urine and this ministry tells us to be patient. He is also eating our children’s food even before break time,” said one parent.
Domborembizi Primary head Mrs Beauty Nerwande had a torrid time trying to diplomatically convince the angry parents to call off the protests and bring the children back to school.
“You all know that since I came here I was seized with this case. I have been working hand-in-glove with the SDC so that a lasting solution is found. The relevant office is aware of the situation here. The good thing about this community is that you are very supportive because you value the education of your children. I am requesting that while you look for a way of solving this problem let’s not involve children and I am kindly asking you to bring pupils back to school tomorrow so that we seek solutions while children are in class. I will personally take charge of Mr Dzemunyasi’s class,” pleaded Mr Nerwande.
After some deliberations, parents later agreed to bring back the pupils to school while the SDC members said they were resigning so that the ministry runs the school alone. Efforts to get a comment from Mr Machini were fruitless as he was said to be attending a workshop in Harare while Dzemunyasi’s number was not reachable.
