Schools in Zimbabwe accept tuition fees for goats

Schools in Zimbabwe accept tuition fees for goats

Parents in Zimbabwe who can not pay school fees can offer livestock like goats or sheep as payment, said a government minister.

The country's education minister, Lazarus Dokora, told the pro-government Sunday Mail newspaper that schools will have to be flexible in demanding parents' school fees and that they should accept not only livestock, but also services and skills. "If there is a builder in the community, he / she must have the opportunity to work as a form of tuition payment," the newspaper said.

Some schools already accept livestock as payment, reports the Sunday Mail.

A ministry official clarified Dr. Dokora's comments: "The parents of the affected children can pay the fees by using cattle.This is mainly for rural areas, but the parents of the cities can pay by d & # 39; other ways, for example, perform some work for the school. "

This follows a decision last week that Zimbabwe allowed people to use their livestock, such as goats, cows and sheep, to secure their bank loans. Under legislation introduced in parliament this week, borrowers would be allowed to register "movable" badets, including motor vehicles and machinery, as collateral, the BBC's World Business Report reported.

According to the Bulawayo24 news portal, the money crisis in Zimbabwe means that people often spend hours queuing up in front of banks to withdraw money. The government says the shortage is due to people coming out of the country with hard currency, but critics say it is due to lack of investment and rising unemployment, Bulawayo said.

Social media have come up against the principle of goats for pay with a mixture of contemptuous humor and gallows. Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga tweeted "If we were told in 1970," we are fighting to bring cattle and goats as money. Please, help and die for what "we would have said?"; while another Twitter user – recognizing the fact that not all farm animals are born equal – asked the question "Can I get a job as a goat appraiser?"

Read also: Zimbabwe begins trading its "new currency"

BY: bbc.com