The Church of Christ schools saga that finally saw the church being recognised by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education as the actual responsible authority after the schools had been allegedly grabbed by a group of individuals serves as another case that helps to put Zimbabwe on the list of the most corrupt countries in the world.

This group has been running the schools since 2016 but the situation has since been reversed. However the situation still poses a number of critical questions that need to be answered. It is important here to get a clear picture of how the finances and assets of the schools were managed. Were financial audits periodically carried out, if so are they available for scrutiny? How did the tender procedure look like?

How were school resources and staff issues handled? Was there any noticeable governance structure? To whom did the said group report? From the commends of Maxwell Mukotami, the newly appointed Secretary of Education for the 29 schools under the Church of Christ, it would seem that all was not well with the schools as standards and welfare had plummeted. Efforts by the Church of Christ to appoint a new Education Secretary and set up its main education office in Chiredzi and satellite offices in some provinces are commendable.

However there is need to expose whatever has been happening to the schools under the leadership of this group. This therefore calls for the setting up of a commission of enquiry and a forensic audit in order to reveal any financial and management malpractices that may have happened. If any crimes were committed the perpetrators should be brought to book and any misappropriated school assets returned. There will be need for a transparent school management system to support the new Education Secretary.

It is hoped that Mukotami will as promised bring back sanity into the schools thus returning them to the glory days of academic and sporting excellence while attracting and retaining skilled staff coupled by the promotion of good asset management.