About five hundred thousand (500 000) Zimbabwean children of school-going age are staying at home, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said.
In a statement to commemorate the International Day of Education, UNICEF country representative Tajudeen Oyewale said there is a need for collaborative efforts to find solutions to the challenges that are keeping children out of class. Said Oyewale:
Only six children out of 10 aged three to five are enrolled in pre-primary education. An estimated half a million children of primary and lower secondary school age are out of school.
This data reminds us to continue to work together under the leadership of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to address the challenges that keep children out of school.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association secretary-general Goodwill Taderera told NewsDay that there is a shortage of schools in the country and the Government is failing to release BEAM funds on time. He said:
We are facing a lot of challenges as we speak and we don’t have adequate schools while the government would like to cater for the highly marginalised, particularly through the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) fund, it has not been able to pay BEAM for quite some time throughout 2023 and up to now.
Taderera also said teachers are not motivated enough to discharge their duties effectively. He said:
As we speak, teachers are crying foul because they’re getting something that doesn’t cover their day-to-day living needs.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as the International Day of Education to celebrate the role of education in peace and development.
This year’s commemorations were held under the theme “Learning for Lasting Peace”.
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