by Gideon Madzikatidze
MVURWI – Mudavanhu Primary School authorities in Mvurwi have come under fire (from public and communities) for rejecting a generous offer from renowned Sangoma Sekuru Nyangatayani to cover fees and stationary for over fifty underprivileged learners, with Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe describing the act as both offside and greatest generational betrayal towards fulfilment of children’s right to education and extreme marginalisation of rural poor.
The decision has sparked widespread outrage, with ARTUZ leader, Obert Masaraure condemning the move as “callous and insensitive” where he appealed for redress from authorities barely few days before purported official schools opening.
“The school authorities are offside because at the end of the day donations should not be treated like that, we don’t care where the money is coming from as long as it is meant to sustain the current education system and current generation which is finding it difficulty to access education because of financial incapacitation to pay for school fees and buy requisites existing education infrastructure. We should not betray the current generation because of source of donations especially using some religious stereotypes to block children from accessing their basic need and rights, which is education,” Masaraure said.
“Donations knows no source and we should welcome the donations as long as they intent to enable children to access education because state has dismally failed to fund education and if there is a good Samaritan, authorities should brace such opportunity with both hands without having second thoughts,” Masaraure added.
“We are so desperate to have such form of rescue of our education system which is in doldrums, its dying. There is severe educational underfunding and it will naive to turn down a genuine gesture which seeks to transform struggling or disadvantaged communities,” Masaraure further said.
“It is weird, worst and shameful act by some religious or education fanatics to deny children accessing resources which compliment their access to education. Children don’t care about where the donations are coming from, but do care about accessing genuine investments into their educational needs for them to realise future opportunities to escape from extreme poverty,” Masaraure fumes.
Despite initially welcoming the gesture and with preparations for the donations at an advanced stage, organisers were shocked to receive information from school’s official who said that authorities have rejected the assistance.
“We are an apostolic church, so we hear the donation is coming from a Sangoma, so we cannot accept the offer because it is against our doctrine,” the official said.
With Zimbabwe facing a surge in school dropouts due to economic hardships, Sekuru Nyangatayani’s gesture was seen as a timely intervention to support vulnerable families. Critics argue that the school’s decision undermines the government’s National Development Strategy 2 policy initiatives and heritage-based curriculum.
“Rejecting a helping hand from a respected traditional healer is not only shameful but also a betrayal of our children’s future,” said a local parent. “In a time of economic hardship, we need more support, not rejection.”
The public is calling for the school authorities to reconsider their decision, citing the importance of community-driven initiatives that promote inclusivity, tolerance, and co-existence. The incident highlights the challenges faced by schools in balancing financial decisions with social responsibility.
Efforts to get a comment from Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Torerayi Moyo were not successful since he did not answer his mobile phone.