Mother Patrick Convent Sch standards ‘goes to the dogs’ as teachers down tools

By Agencies/Staff Reporter

CONDITIONS of service at the Dominican Sister run private learning institution, Mother Patrick continue to deteriorate with stakeholders blaming the church system for deploying inexperienced and insensitive appointees to administrative position.

The institution, first launched under the respected leadership of a nun just known as Sister Irene around 2010, broke the pass rate records to dominate the   country’s top 10 Grade Seven examinations excellence list.

It fast became one of the most sought after institutions of learning in Harare before the church authorities unfortunately withdrew the founding headmistress, Sister Irene and redeployed her elsewhere.

Since then, Mother Patrick School administration has been a total mess.

The institution has sustained a record of crude administration, ill treatment of workers forcing most good teachers to leave the institution over the years.

“Some of the nuns appointed to run the school lack basic expertise of the challenges a common person faces in every day’s struggles. I was forced out of Mother Patrick School as a teacher due to incessant pressure. They keep blaming you for everything. There is neither recourse nor proper arbitration for staff members since what the nuns say carry the order of the day,” said one ex-teacher.

Even the grounds staffers also shared similar sentiments questioning whether the nuns leading the institution are really standing for the traditional Catholic values.

“They are just rough. They treat us (workers) as if we are trash. Sometimes I wonder whether this is still a Missionary institution or not. We grew up knowing that the Catholic system is people centred but it seems the situation has changed.

Even parents in the community now shun the school due to bad management practices exhibited over the years on the back of endless fees hikes.

This week events at the institution reached a crescendo  after  teachers downed tools on November 19 this year, forcing parents and guardians to withdraw their children from the learning institution, which has been closed since then.

According to The Newsday ,the impasse has forced learners to stay at home as teachers protest poor working conditions, among a host of other concerns.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the teachers said their grievances stemmed from unfair labour practice and poor salaries.

 “We are not being paid our salaries and we were not given our annual bonuses. Our medical aid was withdrawn. We are being victimised,” one of the teachers said.

“The authorities especially the headmistress, Tendayi Kagurabadza, deputy and one of the sisters do not consider the concerns of the teachers.

“We want to create a nurturing environment for our learners and for them to get better grades, but the conditions we are forced to work under are making that impossible.”

However, parents who approached NewsDay expressed frustration over the strike.

“We are supporting the teachers because it is affecting our children’s education. They are not paying the teachers to an extent that we are losing good teachers. The pass rate has gone down because of that,” one of the parents said.

“We are paying US$830 as they do not accept ZiG, but teachers are not being paid to teach our children and we have not been getting financial statements since this head joined the school. We need the school to resolve all these issues.”

However, another parent applauded the teachers for taking the initiative to solve the problems at the school.

“I commend the teachers for taking a stance by withdrawing their services and as parents we should do the same,” the parent said.

“The children should only be sent back to school after our stalemate with the school has been resolved.”

Kagurabadza refused to comment on the matter.

Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro said government was seized with the issue with a team already deployed to investigate.