Zimbabwe’s schools are having a difficult time figuring out how to accept the recently minted Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency. Although ZiG has been accepted by large supermarkets and acknowledged as legal cash, it has encountered opposition from educational institutions.
Many educational institutions are adamant about only taking payments in foreign currencies for fees, citing issues with the government’s lax enforcement of ZiG usage in fuel service stations. Some service providers are using this inconsistent ZiG deployment as an excuse to reject the structured currency.
According to reports from The Manica Post, parents and guardians trying to pay fees and levies in local currency are being turned away from schools, specifically in Manicaland Province.
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While some educational institutions assert that their transaction systems are not yet in sync with ZiG, this argument is implausible given that the majority of fees are paid through banks that have already adjusted their systems to reflect the new currency.
It’s interesting to see that some schools are taking a wait-and-see stance, saying they won’t accept ZiG until they reopen. This reminds me of tactics used in the RTGS era in the hopes of receiving a favourable interbank rate.
Parents and guardians’ financial situation is made worse by the province’s residential schools, which only accept foreign currency for fees and levies.
In response, Taungana Ndoro, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s Director of Communications and Advocacy, restated the government’s position that parents are free to pay with ZiG or foreign cash. The Secretary’s Circular No. 10 of 2022, which mandates that school fees be paid in the local currency, ZiG, was stressed by Ndoro.