By Elishamai A. Ziumbwa
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has issued a firm directive reminding schools that the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency remains legal tender for all school-related transactions.
In a statement released this week, the Ministry said parents and guardians are free to pay school fees using any currency within the country’s multicurrency system including ZiG and U.S. dollars warning that institutions demanding exclusive USD payments face disciplinary consequences.
“Schools must not demand exclusive USD payments and non-compliance will result in disciplinary action,” the Ministry said.
The directive comes amid growing reports of schools allegedly refusing payments in ZiG and instead insisting on U.S. dollars often calculated using unofficial exchange rates.
The Ministry reinforced a March 12, 2025, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe policy mandating the use of the official interbank exchange rate in all pricing.
“The exchange rate that is determined in the foreign exchange market by banks is the one that should be used to guide the pricing of all other goods and services in the economy. No business entity, schools included, outside the interbank market should determine the exchange rate,” Ministry said
The Ministry warned that any school found using self-imposed or parallel market rates would be referred to monetary regulators for investigation and possible sanctions.
While reaffirming the obligation of parents to pay approved fees and levies to support school operations, the Ministry also made clear that financial difficulties should not deprive any child of their right to education.
“No pupil shall be excluded from classes, exams, or activities due to unpaid fees. Schools must collaborate with families to establish flexible payment plans,” the statement said.
However, some schools have been demanding payment in USD claiming that the ZIG Point of Sale (POS) machine were not working due to network challenges.
