In Zimbabwe people believe corruption is when a high-profile figure is being investigated and prosecuted.
Organizations which advocate for eradication of corruption have also been hoodwinked to think and act along the same lines.
At the end of the day people are not concerned about corruption which happens at every facet of society that is even at grassroots level.
A huge percentage of the Zimbabwean population is involved in corrupt activities in one way or another. It is now high time for law enforcement agents to abolish operations as it sounds temporary because operations come and go.
The law enforcement agents need to be on their toes every single day arresting and penalising defaulters. Operations though in a way successful, are not an entirely effective tool of enforcement.
We expect the clampdown on illegal money changers and mushika shika taxis to be a permanent drive rather than a seasonal one where law enforcement agencies act today, relax and go on another cycle of action. The current operation on money changers is commendable as it has brought fruitful results which has seen them disappearing from the market.
The government finds it very difficult sometimes to address corruption as the populace stands in support of corrupt people not taking into account that they are the ones affected.
The Ministry of Education banned extra lessons being conducted by corrupt teachers, but the parents decided to support the teachers in corruption by sending their children for extra lessons clandestinely.
The ministry also tried to address the issue of extra lessons but the parents came guns blazing blaming the ministry and shamelessly the so-called organizations for the rights of children joined the race to attack the government saying it is against the rights of children to education defeating the efforts of the government to level the education field as some of the parents will not afford as it is being done for a fee.
Also, these teachers have been accused of neglecting their classes opting to exert more effort on the extra lessons thus disadvantaging the learners.
Yesteryear teachers would not charge anything for holiday lessons as the teacher was responsible for the children to catch up with the syllabus and produce good results.
Parents are not against the Continuous Assessment Learning Activities (CALA). However, these have been privatised and are now a Cash cow for corrupt teachers who charge a fee to assist the learners as well as award a good mark.
Parents are usually caught in between as they enter into corruption by default with a genuine belief that their child will be left behind because some teachers no longer have an interest in teaching in the classrooms ignoring those who do not attend extra lessons.
When the operation on extra lessons was conducted it ended with very few arrests to set an example to teachers who are adamant. More has to be done to eradicate this scourge.
To implement the law both teachers and parents are supposed to be arrested for corruption and they should know that before they point fingers to others they are also involved.
Some parents who are unable to pay for extra lessons are deeply stressed as their children are lagging behind the syllabus.
Moyondizvo who lives in Chitungwiza has expressed his dissatisfaction with how the teachers are conducting extra lessons willingly leaving some disadvantaged children behind.
President Dr E D Mnangagwa has said no one should be left behind but in the education sector, many children are being left behind because their parents cannot afford extra lessons.
Some parents support teachers saying they earn peanuts but in Zimbabwe civil servants are better off than private companies who spend 3 to 6 months without receiving their salaries. Teachers in some private schools wish if the chance comes, they will find their way back to the government payroll as private schools are giving them a raw deal.
We urge the government to continue with its strides to ensure access to education for all and root out corruption.
