Emirates Primary School Principal Arrested Over Missing Grade Seven Exam Fees For 41 Learners
The arrest of a primary school principal in Harare has left parents scrambling to secure examination arrangements for 41 Grade Seven learners after allegations that their examination fees were not remitted to the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC).
Rosemary Matunga, the principal of Emirates Primary School in Retreat, Waterfalls, was arrested in connection with the missing fees as the General Certificate in Education (GCE) examinations got underway.
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Parents Demand Answers
The situation came to a head when parents and guardians discovered that the school had apparently not completed the necessary arrangements for their children to sit for the examinations.
Emirates Primary School does not have an examination centre number, leaving parents seeking intervention from ZIMSEC officials to ensure the learners were not prevented from writing their papers.
Parents said they had paid the required examination fees to the school and questioned why they had not been informed about the problem.
“We were not told that the school failed to pay for the examination fees,” one parent said.
“We all paid the fees, but the school decided to squander the money. We questioned their professionalism.”
ZIMSEC Steps In
The dispute escalated when parents reportedly threatened to demonstrate against the school authorities.
ZIMSEC officials subsequently met with the affected parents and arranged for the learners to write their examinations at another school.
“After threatening to demonstrate against the school authorities, ZIMSEC officials asked to meet us and allowed our children to sit for the examination at another school,” another parent said.
Emirates Academy had reportedly transferred examination payments for six learners registered at Hatfield Primary School, where examination-centre arrangements were already available.
School Owner Responds
The school’s owner, identified as Pereka, was reported to have left Matunga to deal with the matter following her arrest.
Parents also raised concerns over the accountability of the examination fees they had paid.
“School authorities failed to account for the examination fees, leading to the arrest of the principal,” a parent said.
Pereka confirmed that the matter was being addressed but said the school had not yet registered as an examination centre.
“Yes, our school is yet to register to become an examination centre but everything is being sorted,” he said.
Learners Allowed To Sit Exams
With ZIMSEC intervening, the affected learners were allowed to proceed with their examinations at another school.
The circumstances surrounding the handling of the fees remain at the centre of the dispute, while the principal faces the consequences of the allegations against her.
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