Acrimony or Harmony? The Case of Relations Between Mother Schools and their Satellite Schools in a Selected District in Masvingo Province

This study was motivated the emergence of a new type of school that was ushered by the land reform in Zimbabwe. The new schools which are termed satellite schools were attached to established schools. By virtue of having a satellite school attached to the established school, the later was termed the mother schools. This study unpacks the relationship between the mother schools and their satellite schools in a selected district. The study was guided two research questions; How do mother schools relate with their satellite schools? Why are mother schools engaging with satellite schools in these particular ways? The study purposively sampled five mother school heads and five satellite school heads. Data for the study was generated through key informant interviews. This paper established that the relationship between mother schools and satellite schools had elements of both acrimony and harmony in a selected district. The relationship between the mother school schools and satellite schools was influenced by the responsible authority, enrolment of the mother school, the distance between the mother school and the satellite school as well as social capital. From the findings of this study, the government is recommended to draw a policy guiding the setting-up of satellite schools as well as their interaction with their mother schools.