tale of two teachers

"You're phoning about the opening of term?" My son's headmistress is nervous. "No, we can't go ahead."

"We take our lead from the the private schools, and they've been told there'll be arrests if they open."

Teachers get arrested regularly in Zimbabwe. In the last 18 months, my son has attended two (private but far from exclusive) preschools. Both of his headmistresses have been arrested. The first one (who was heavily pregnant) was arrested for hiking fees without permission. The second spent a couple of nights in cells after she was (wrongfully) accused of stealing fuel coupons. She says her time inside wasn't too bad ("but I was worried about my children"). Understandably, she's keen not to see a repeat of the experience.

Schools were supposed to open on January 13th. State radio announced last week that lessons would now be delayed until January 27th, to give the authorities time to find (and perhaps pay) markers for last year's Grade 7 exams. Private schools mark their own examinations, so headteachers presumed the edict applied only to government schools and decided to go ahead with the January 13th start-date.

That was until they were notified by letter this weekend that they'd be arrested if they did.

'Phone me again on Friday," she says. In the backgrounds, I can hear 'phones ringing. More frustrated parents.